Ticking
by electrons
Summary: Sequel to 'Under the Surface'. AI must adjust to life running Wolfram & Hart while secrets are kept and revealed. An ancient conspiracy tries to hijack their lives. Everyone has to make hard choices while the clock ticks down to a horrific unforeseen event that will change Angel and his friends forever. Please review. There is some M content in chapters 15, 16, & 22.
1. Conviction

Angel stood in his office and watched their first official workday at Wolfram & Hart begin. Wesley and Fred arrived together. She was whispering in his ear when the elevator doors opened and let them into the lobby. She quickly stepped back, not wishing to make a spectacle of herself. The whole thing was still odd to Angel, but he supposed he would get used to it. They were both carrying boxes of supplies for their respective offices. They spoke a few quick words and then she leaned forward and kissed him before they went their separate ways. Angel's eyes followed the man who had no idea he had once been host to a god. Wesley didn't notice that he was being watched as he went to his office. Gunn arrived next. He looked very out of place in his street clothes holding his own box which had a basketball sticking out of it. Gunn headed in the same direction Wesley had. Angel, Wes, and Gunn all had offices on this hall. "Like ants,"

Angel jumped and turned around. Lilah was standing in the entrance to his elevator, leaning against the frame, staring at him with a big smile on her face. "I thought that was my _private_ elevator." Angel said peevishly "And don't you have your own office?"

Lilah stepped out of the elevator and let the door close behind her. "I come and go as I please, but in all other respects I am your humble servant. I communicate the partners' messages to you, your concerns to them, and assist you in your duties as the new CEO of this branch."

"Duties? I thought I could run this place however I want." Angel said

"You can run this place however you want, but to do that, you have to run it. This is a business Angel. You can't just take our client list and start hacking away at the evil demons one by one. Well you can, but then this branch will go bankrupt and you won't be the CEO of anything anymore. You'll be back where you were before and all the perks of your position will be gone." She gave him a meaningful look. "All of them."

Out of the corner of his eye Angel saw Wesley and Gunn in the hallway talking about something. "I get it." Angel said "I have to play your game. I have to… make compromises."

"Huh," Lilah said, amused "Is that thick skull of yours finally softening?"

"I'm not stupid Lilah. I can use Wolfram & Hart to fight evil, but I have to be creative about it, smart about it. I can't just attack everything head-on with my battle ax."

Lilah looked behind her at the wall of weapons Angel had behind his desk.

"I'm not saying I'll never do that." He said

"Of course not." Lilah said "You're still you. You're still the vampire with a soul that the ancient prophecies say will determine the fate of the world. You're still Angel."

"And I always will be. So if your bosses' master plan is to turn me over to the dark side you should tell them they made a big mistake in handing me all of these nice toys."

Her sunny grin remained as present and broad as ever. "We're a bit more subtle."

Angel heard a knock on his door. He continued to glare at Lilah. "Come in."

Wesley entered. He sensed the heavy tension between the two dead people. "If you're busy I can come back later." He offered

"No Wes; it's fine." Angel still hadn't removed his contemptuous gaze from Lilah.

"I was just leaving." Lilah said "Remember what we talked about." She told Angel as she got into his private elevator "See ya Wes." She winked at the confused Englishman.

"I really hate her." Angel said

"She seems different." Wesley said

Angel finally looked at Wes. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I can't place it." He shrugged. "I guess death changes a person."

Angel looked away. If he only knew. "Yeah," Angel said softly

"Sorry," Wes said, thinking Angel's response was because of Angel's own long past death and not the death of the person who had spoken. Wesley didn't remember that death.

"What? Oh," Angel looked back at Wesley and tried to give what he hoped was a normal ease-putting smile. "No I'm- I take it you didn't come in to talk about Lilah."

"No," Wes said "I started going through our client files."

"Good." Angel said "I should have thought of that. We'll need to categorize all of the files to figure out how to deal with each client. We'll also probably have to go through all of our employees and have them sing for Lorne. Then we…" Angel paused. "I'm just now realizing how much work turning this place around is going to be."

"Second thoughts?" Wesley asked

"No, you? I mean I know you never wanted to come here to begin with."

"No, but we're here. No sense in second-guessing our decision."

"Right," Angel said "We need a plan. We need… like a meeting or something."

"You could have your secretary set up the conference room." Wesley suggested

"Good… good idea. You're better at this than me."

"Well I'm used to morally ambiguous bureaucracies. I was a watcher."

"Right," Angel said "What was morally ambiguous about the council?"

Wesley shifted awkwardly like he regretted saying that. "I'll get Gunn and call Fred and Lorne while you get in touch with your new secretary. I think you'll like her." Wesley's eyes now sparkled with mischief. "You're old friends."

"You met my secretary?" Angel asked

"We can meet in the conference room in… what do you think? Twenty minutes?"

Angel watched Wesley go. "Okay," He said uncertainly to the now empty room. He went over to his desk and sat down. He took a moment to appreciate what a nice desk it was and how well his office was turning out. The wall of weapons, the HD TV, and the copious space were all little (not so little really) touches that made him feel more comfortable. Angel wondered if that was good or bad. He picked up his phone. "Hello," He said to the phone "Is this-"

"You have reached ritual sacrifice. To sacrifice a loved one-" Angel slammed the phone down quickly and heavily. He heard another knock on his door. "Come in."

Angel gaped at the blond woman who entered. "Wes said you wanted to see me."

"Harmony," Angel scowled. "When did you get back in L.A.?"

"I came for the whole no sun thing and just never left." Harmony said with a chipper countenance. "This is just such a wonderful city with so many opportunities."

"Do the words leave and never come back not mean anything anymore?"

"If you're talking about that thing that happened with the whole me betraying you and Cordy threatening to kill me, that's ancient history. It's not good to dwell on the past."

Angel glared. "Explain to me why I shouldn't kill you."

"Why would you want to kill me? I'm your secretary."

"You're evil." Angel said

"Well yeah," Harmony said "But I'm not, you know, _evil_. Ya know?"

"No, I don't."

"Look please don't fire me." Harmony said "This job is my big break. I'm actually a really good secretary and if you just give me a chance you'll be so glad you did because-"

"Harmony shut up." Angel said, thinking "Wes sent you in here?"

"Yeah, he's the one who picked me out of the steno pool."

"Why?" Angel asked

"Well you need a secretary so-" Angel got up and left his office. "Where are you going?"

Harmony followed Angel to Wesley's office. Angel rapped on the door. "Come in."

Angel entered, his annoyance obvious. "Is this your idea of a joke?"

Wesley was sitting at his desk reading. He looked up. "What? Oh, Harmony."

"This isn't funny."

"It wasn't meant to be-" Wesley couldn't keep a straight face. "Well actually it was meant to be funny. But I did have a practical reason for picking Harmony to be you assistant."

"Ooh assistant," Harmony said "That's way better than secretary."

Angel ignored her. "Which would be?"

"Anyone who works for Wolfram & Hart is bound to have questionable morals." Wesley explained "As you said we will have to vet all of our employees. The process could take weeks and since your assistant will be handling sensitive information I figured the devil we know is better than the one we don't. Harmony is at her worst unfaithful, she's hardly dangerous."

Angel glared at Wesley for a moment. "You're right." He relented "It's better to have someone mostly harmless like Harmony than a spy or assassin or whatnot."

"I apologize if I overstepped my responsibilities." Wesley said "Perhaps I-"

Angel flinched at Wesley's apology. "No, it's fine. You made a lot of sense."

"Does that mean I'm not fired?" Harmony asked excitedly

"No you're not fired." Angel said reluctantly

"Yay!" She squealed "I'll go get you some blood!"

Angel and Wesley watched her run from the room. There was a moment of silence. "If I caused you any distress I do apologize." Wesley said "Your first day here must be hard enough."

"No, no," Angel said hastily "I was just surprised to see her is all."

"Yes it was a bit odd when I saw her again too. The strangest part was…"

Angel knew what statement he didn't want to finish. "She reminded you of Cordy."

Wesley nodded. "I don't know if it's because they were friends or…"

Angel nodded as well. "It's hard to adjust to life without her."

"Yes it is." Wesley said "Especially for you I'm sure."

Angel nodded. He looked at Wesley. Something was different about him. Wesley wasn't one much for apologies, (and last year Angel had found out why) but he'd now apologized to Angel twice in a row. There was more to it than that, but Angel couldn't place it.

"Angel,"

Angel shook his head. He had to stop phasing out like that. "Yeah,"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking."

Harmony reentered the room with a mug which she offered to Angel. "Here ya go boss."

Angel eyed the mug wearily. "Is that-"

"Pigs blood," She assured him "Wes told me about the new company policy."

"Right," Angel said "Our new policy." He took the mug.

"No killing or eating humans." Wesley explained

"Yes," Angel drank his blood. "That's- hey this is really good."

"The secret ingredient is otter." Harmony explained

…

Angel stared at the collection of files in front of him. The five of them were trying to get a basic understanding of their clientele, but the numbers were daunting. That didn't even touch upon how downright evil some of their clients were. "That's disgusting." Gunn muttered

Angel looked over at him. "What?"

"You don't even want to know." Gunn told him

Harmony entered with a tray of coffee. "I hope I got everybody's order right."

"You're a saint." Lorne said when Harmony handed him exactly what he had asked for

Angel snorted in disbelief and muttered something quietly. Harmony continued to pass out the mugs of coffee. "Thanks," Fred said "I don't even know where to start with all of this."

"I have to admit, even I'm a little confused." Wesley said

"Really?" Angel asked

"We need a lawyer." Wesley said

"Well this is a law firm." Fred said

"We need a lawyer we can trust." Angel said

"Well I start readings tomorrow." Lorne said "Should I begin with the legal department?"

"No," Wesley said as he opened another file. "You should start with security and all of the department managers. They are the ones most capable of assassinating one of us."

Wes didn't notice everyone looking up to stare at him. "Well that was dark." Gunn said

Wesley put aside his file. "Just because the senior partners don't want us dead doesn't mean that everyone here is on that same page. We've observed incongruous behavior among their ranks in the past. I think our most pressing priority is eliminating those who pose a serious threat to our personal safety and then moving on to figuring out the professional elements."

"Just so we're clear," Lorne said "When you say eliminate-"

"I meant firing them, obviously."

Gunn pushed aside his pile of papers. "Well I'm taking a break."

"Seriously?" Fred asked

"Come on." Gunn said in a bitter tone "I don't even know what incongruous means."

"It means-"

Gunn cut Wesley off. "I don't need a definition, I need a break." Gunn got up and left.

They all watched him go. Fred was a little stunned. "What was that?"

"I think we're all a little overwhelmed." Angel said "I am at least."

"We've been in here for six hours and haven't accomplished a thing." Wes said

"Okay," Angel said "New plan. Wes you and Lorne go through the employee roster and make up a schedule so that everyone gets read. Fred and I will go through the files on the biggest evils that we apparently represent now and get them all in one pile so we can sort them out."

"I'll go down to files and records and get the employee files." Wes said as he left

…

Lilah approached Gunn when he left the conference room. "Frustrated?"

"This isn't what the big cat promised me." Gunn said as she fell in step with him

"The senior partners just want to know you're sure." Lilah explained

Gunn stopped and turned to face Lilah. He stared into her eyes. "I've been sure since I left the white room. I'm not going to change my mind. So let's stop dicking around."

Lilah pulled a business card out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Okay big man."

He snatched the card from her hand. "Thanks," He stormed off.

Lilah chuckled as she watched him go. From the corner of her eye she saw Wesley leave the conference room. He didn't see her. She waited until he was a ways down the hall and then followed him. She watched him get in the elevator and eyed the screen which showed the floors the elevator was passing. Lilah smiled when she saw where the elevator stopped.

…

"Stunning isn't it?" Wesley gasped and dropped the employee files he had just finished collecting from the files and records department. He turned to look at Lilah, who had snuck up on him. They were alone in the expansive room that was filled with file cabinets. "I used to come down here just to look. All of this knowledge, all of this power. Doesn't it just get you all hot and bothered?" She gave him a seductive grin.

Wesley gathered his papers. "What do you want Lilah?"

"Just to chat."

"I'm busy." Wesley said

"Come on Wes, when's the last time we had a nice talk?"

"A few days before never." He said "And since when do you call me Wes?"

"I thought I'd try it out." Lilah said

"Well stop." He said "My friends call me that."

"You don't want us to be friends?"

"Not particularly, no." He said

"Gee," She put on a mocking expression and touched her chest. "I'm hurt."

"You'll get over it." He started to walk by her.

Lilah grabbed his arm and shoved him into a filing cabinet, causing him to drop all of his papers again. "You know something?" She said "I kind of like being dead."

"What the hell are you doing?" Wesley asked her, shocked

"You might not want to be my friend," She said "But you sure as hell don't want to be my enemy." She shoved him again, causing him to hit his head against the cabinet.

"Ow! What is wrong with you?" He asked "Have you lost your bleeding mind?"

She let go of him and backed up. "I just thought I'd give you the proper Wolfram & Hart welcome." Lilah walked away. "See you around Wes." She said as she left the room.

Wesley waited until he heard the door to the room slam shut and then knelt down to pick up the files again. "I really hate this place." He muttered as he headed for the hall

…

Gunn sat in the waiting room, fidgeting. "Mr. uh… Gunn?"

"Yeah," Gunn told the pretty secretary who has called his name.

"Your MRI looks great and Dr. Sparrow said we can start the procedure tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp." She gave him an endearing grin.

"Is there any way the good doc can squeeze me in today?" Gunn asked

"I'm sorry mister Gunn, but it's a six hour procedure and Dr. Sparrow doesn't work after five o'clock. Plus he's booked for today. Actually he's booked for the rest of the month, but Ms. Morgan convinced the doctor that you were a special case."

"Six hours?"

"Is that a problem?" She asked

"Nope, see you tomorrow at eight." Gunn got up to go.

…

"That's it." Angel closed the last file. "That's all I can take for one day."

"I think I'm actually past my limit." Fred said, looking a little green

Wesley walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. She smiled and leaned back so he could kiss her on the lips. "Do you want to get out of here?" He asked her

"That's the best idea I've heard all day." Fred said "Do you need us for anything else boss?" She asked Angel "Or can we get out of here?"

"Go," He said "I'm going upstairs to get some sleep."

"Marvelous idea Angel-cakes." Lorne said "I'll follow your example."

The four of them got up to go to their respective homes. Angel stood in the hall and used his vampire hearing to listen to Wesley and Fred as the couple headed for the elevator. "As far as first days go," She said "This is one of the worst I've had."

"I'm sorry." Wesley said "But it's all uphill from here."

"Yeah, like that guy rolling a boulder up a hill and not accomplishing anything."

"Fred,"

"Maybe this is the senior partners' big plan, to overwhelm us with paperwork."

"Maybe," He said "But it will take a lot more than that to stop us."

"Angel," Angel stopped eavesdropping and looked at Lorne.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm uh… I'm going to my office." Angel fled, leaving a confused Pylean behind.

…

Angel came downstairs ready to make his second day on the job a hell of a lot better than his first day. He went into his office with the high priority files he and Fred had separated from their client files. These were the people who the need to stop was most urgent. Angel picked up the first file. This was a demon who granted wishes in the worst possible way. He would approach unsuspecting humans and give them three wishes. The first wish would be legitimate and was usually wasted on a test. The second and third wish would be twisted with vengeance demon style logic. If someone wished for money a close relative would die, leaving them a sizeable inheritance or they would find a bunker in their backyard filled with (stolen) money.

Angel heard a knock on his door. He was starting to grow weary of that door. "Come in."

Wes came in with a file. "We have a problem."

"Of course," Angel said "It's us after all."

Wesley handed Angel the file. "His name is Corbin Fries. Wolfram & Hart is representing his case which includes a long list of charges that ranges from racketeering to human trafficking. The case against him is pretty much air-tight." Wesley explained

"Sounds like that problem solved itself."

"Except Mr. Fries is threatening to release a plague that will kill every living being in the L.A. area if we don't find a way to clear him of the charges he is clearly guilty of."

"That's a problem." Angel admitted

"I should say so." Wesley said

"What do we do?"

"Fred is already in the lab trying to figure out what the disease could be, if he got it from us, if there's an antidote, and any other information that could be useful. I talked to the lawyer assigned to Mr. Fries' case and he says the possibilities for mystic interference in the trial are minimal. Apparently the D.A had shamans cast a spell to protect the jury from enchantment."

"The D.A. has shamans?" Angel asked

"Not really the issue,"

"Right, I'm sorry. Continue,"

"We have no idea how Mr. Fries intends to spread the plague or how to prevent him from doing so." Wesley said "Right now it looks like the city's only hope is to get this scum bag off."

"Oh joy," Angel said "Is he here?"

"Yes, should I send him in?"

"Yeah, let's see what the man has to say for himself."

…

Knox put a pile of papers in front of Fred. "This is a detailed report of every contact Mr. Fries ever had with our lab or our lab staff. We never did any work with him on a plague."

"Thanks," Fred saw Lilah enter the lab and scowled.

Lilah seemed unaware of Fred's ire. "Hey Freddy, how are you settling in?"

"What do you want?" Fred asked "And don't call me that."

Lilah smirked. "How's your quest to save the world again going?"

"Fine, thanks for asking."

"Are you starting to get it?"

"Get what?"

"What a necessary service Wolfram & Hart provides society." Lilah said "Has always provided society. The big bad lawyers have saved the world more times than your little group ever did. We stop people like Fries from causing messy catastrophes like this on a weekly basis."

"And you also allow other people just as evil as he is to commit horrible crimes against humanity on a daily- on an hourly basis. You may have kept the death toll down, but that's only so your clients wouldn't run out of lambs to maim and slaughter." Fred accused

"Our motives may be questionable, but you can't fault the results."

"People die and suffer every day because of you."

"If you mean that they're alive to die and suffer because of us, than yes you're right."

"I don't have time for this." Fred said

"No," Lilah said "You just don't want to hear it."

"Things are going to change." Fred said "We're going to save all of the people you did, prevent all of the catastrophes you did, without sacrificing innocent people to do it."

"Innocent people like Cordelia?" Lilah was surprised when Fred responded by slapping her. The tiny Texan was tougher than she looked. Lilah reminded herself that this diminutive woman had killed a god not too long ago, but Fred didn't remember that. Where did she get this courage? "I'm dead. I don't feel pain." Lilah explained to Fred

"Too bad." Fred picked up her papers and headed to her office without paying Lilah any further heed. Lilah watched the physicist go, unable to explain the admiration she felt.

…

Lorne entered the courtroom. This case had taken the top spot on everybody's priority list; he wasn't going to be meeting with any of his fabulous new clients until the gang knew that there would be a city to meet those clients in tomorrow. Fred was researching the plague, Wes was researching mystical means Fries might use to spread it, and Angel was trying to find any accomplishes Fries might have in his scheme. Lorne's job was to monitor how the case was going. The most courtroom experience Lorne had was his fondness for Judge Judy, but even he knew that this case was not going well for Fries. The Wolfram & Hart lawyer representing Fries was sweating bullets. The man was arguing the case like his life depended on it, because his life did depend on it. Everyone's did. Lorne took a seat. Fries turned to look at him and the look he gave was clear. Fries wasn't concerned. One way or another he was leaving this courtroom a free man, no matter how many corpses had to be accrued to attain this result. Lorne gulped.

…

"Anything?"

Wes looked up from his book at Angel. "No, you?"

"Fred found a lab tech that might have been working with Fries under the table but he died last year in Illyria's attack on Wolfram & Hart and he didn't leave a paper trail."

"If the plague is mystical Fries must have a way to set it off from a distance, perhaps an incantation of some sort, maybe even a single word. If we can prevent him from saying it-"

"How? We bust into the courtroom and kill him?" Angel asked

"That might set it off as well." Wesley said "We may have only one choice."

"I thought we were down to no choices. One is good."

"We might have to break him out and force him to tell us how to stop the plague."

"That's kind of overt." Angel said "And this is me saying that."

"Angel we're running out of options." Wesley said

…

Lilah entered the courtroom and took a seat next to Lorne. "How's it going?"

"Not looking good for the L.A. populace." Lorne said

"Except for the dead," Lilah reminded him "We'll be fine." She considered what she had just said. "Or at least no worse off than we already are."

"Why are you here?" Lorne asked in a scathing tone

"I'm keeping an eye on Angel's new operation."

"Angel's not here."

"No, but you are. Why is that I wonder?"

"Somebody needs to watch the proceedings."

"So they send you." Lilah said "Instead of a lackey."

"They trust me." Lorne said

"Maybe," Lilah replied "But do they respect you?"

Lorne turned away from the proceedings to face her. "This is hardly the time for your mind games. We'll all be dead soon if Fries is found guilty."

"I'm already dead." Lilah reminded him

"That's not my fault. I'm sorry you never got what you wanted."

Lilah jolted in her seat. "What are you talking about?"

"I see it in your aura. You are longing for something you can no longer have. Maybe it is something only available to the living, or maybe it is something you could never have held onto anyway. Right now I have much bigger problems. I know you don't care about-"

"I care." She cut him off "You have no idea."

"Maybe not," He said "But if you care so much why don't you try and help?"

"I already did." Lilah looked away from him and stared straight ahead at the proceedings.

"What are you-"

"Shhh, don't ruin the effect."

Lorne stared at her. A few minutes later the doors to the courtroom were opened dramatically by a young black man brimming with confidence. It took Lorne a moment to recognize Charles Gunn under the tailored suit and charismatic grin. What happened next blew Lorne away while Lilah just sat there with a smug grin on her face.

…

Angel was leaning against his desk staring at Gunn. Lilah was on the other side of the office leaning against the wall watching them with a big grin on her face. Wesley, Fred, and Lorne were standing in front of the glass barrier between Angel's office and the hall where Harmony was sitting at her desk leaned forward trying to spy on them. "Okay," Angel tried to get his bearings. "I just need you to run this by me one more time."

"Angel what more is there to say? I had a mistrial declared and can use legal finagling to draw this case out for the next two or three years. In return Mr. Fries will tell us where the plague is stored and how to destroy it. He will be forced to cease most of his criminal activities while the D.A.'s office is watching him and with no source of income he'll have to use all of his savings to pay our ever-increasing exorbitant legal fees. Once he's completely bankrupt, which coincidentally should coincide with the two or three years I can draw this case out, we will cease representing him and he'll go to prison for the rest of his life. Problem solved." Gunn sat comfortably in his chair looking very pleased with himself. Fred was staring at him.

"That's great and all." Angel said "But I was talking about the part where you let Wolfram & Hart go poking around in your head without telling any of us."

"I didn't know I needed your permission _dad._"

Angel scowled and had to remind himself that Gunn didn't remember what that word meant to him. Wes spoke up. "You know they can't be trusted Gunn. What you did was foolish."

"You said it yourself." Gunn said "We need a lawyer. Now we have one."

"You let Wolfram & Hart play with your brain." Fred said "I could never do something like that. I could never let them change me, change who I am."

Angel flinched, but no one saw because they were all staring at Gunn. "Guys it's still me." Gunn protested "I'm still Charles Gunn, I just happen to know a few things about the law now that will be extremely useful if we're going to succeed at what we're trying to do here."

"If I might interject," Lilah said

"I'd rather you didn't." Angel said

Lilah ignored him. "While you were all running around like chickens with your heads cut off the councilor here just saved the day without ever stepping his toe outside the boundaries of the law or spilling a drop of blood. And for the record he is still the same man, just a man who knows everything there is to know about the law in this nation, every other nation, and most demon clans." Lilah smiled at Gunn and he returned her grin. This disturbed Angel immensely.

"I still think this was a bad call." Wesley said

"Yeah well it was my call to make." Gunn snapped

"Charles," Fred said in a shocked tone "We're your friends. We're worried about you."

"Well don't. If you think Wolfram & Hart put something dangerous in my head then you can have Lorne read me. But I'm telling you this is me and I'm exactly the same."

They all shared uncomfortable looks. "You already seem different to me." Fred said

"I stopped Fries. Isn't that the important thing?"

"I don't know." Fred said "Is this our lives now? We just let an awful man who does awful things get a two year reprieve from a sentence he deserves. You manipulated the legal systems that are in place to protect people to serve your own ends-"

"To save thousands, maybe millions of people." Gunn said

"But also to make money for the firm right?" Fred asked "That's what you plan to do while Mr. Fries is enjoying his unjust reprieve, take his blood money to fund this branch."

"We have to make money." Gunn said "This is a business we're running."

"He got some of that money through human trafficking." Fred protested

"What do you want us to do?" Gunn asked "Set the money on fire? Donate all of it to a human's rights organization? We saved L.A. and Fries will be punished. We got everything we could ask for. We just had to make some compromises." Gunn was starting to get annoyed.

"I don't know if I'm okay with that." Fred said

"Then why are you here?" When Gunn said that the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees and silence took over Angel's office. "That came out wrong."

Fred's voice was ice. "I think it came out exactly how you meant it to."

"We have to make compromises." Gunn said "It's the only way to help people."

"Help people or help yourself?" Fred asked

Gunn became frustrated. "You think I just saved all of those lives for myself?!"

"You don't have to shout." Wesley said

"She's being unreasonable!"

"Enough!" Everyone turned to look at Angel. "Gunn's right."

"But-"

Angel cut Fred off. "This is what they want. They want us to turn against each other and lose sight of why we're here. But they underestimated us. We have to be able to rely on each other because we're all any of us has. This is going to be hard, maybe harder than anything we've ever done before, but it is worth it. We're going to turn this place around. Maybe we'll have to cut people like Fries a few breaks, but we're not here to punish bad guys, we're here to help the innocent. We do need someone we can trust who knows the law and the only people we can trust are each other. Gunn should have talked to us, but I think he made the right call."

"Thanks Angel," Gunn said

"I know this is hard for you." Angel told Fred "But we can help more people now than we ever did before. There will be compromises, but we won't compromise on who we are."

Fred hesitated. "I just worry about us. I love you all and don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thank you Fred." Gunn said "But I can handle this."

"And if you ever have a problem you'll come to us right?" Fred asked

"I promise." Gunn said "Trust me."

"We do trust you." Fred said

"She's right." Wesley said "Please don't mistake our concern for mistrust."

"Look now we can all focus on our different departments. I can get all of our cases sorted through in just a few days. Fred can get all of her lab work done. Wes can handle all of the research we need. Lorne can start reforming the PR department after he finishes reading all of our employees. Angel you can start trying to figure out why the senior partners brought us here."

"You're right." Angel said "We didn't get anything done while we were focusing on stopping Fries." Angel started to get excited. "But that's over. Today is the first day of a new era at Wolfram & Hart. We'll show the senior partners just what we're capable of."

"Ra, ra," Lilah said

"Lilah, get out." Angel said

Lilah put her hands in the air, signifying surrender. "This was a great first day guys, I'm proud of all of you." She left the office with a huge grin on her face.

"She knows their plan." Angel said

"And they do have a plan." Wesley said "This is all a part of it."

"We'll figure it out. They'll tip their hand, and when they do we'll be ready." Angel picked up an envelope from the top of his mail pile and then walked into the middle of the room to finish his speech. "We stick together, there's nothing we can't do. There's nothing we can't-"

A familiar necklace fell out of the envelope Angel had torn open. It shined for a moment and released a whirlwind of light. Fred shrieked in surprise. Wesley pulled her away from the necklace toward the glass wall. Lorne backed up with them. Gunn jumped to his feet and backed away from the necklace and Angel followed suit. A kind of dust came together and formed a skeleton. The light lay on the bones and turned into muscle, blood, and skin. A vampire stood in front of them looking up at the ceiling and screaming in agony. He had platinum blond hair and a long leather coat. He stopped screaming and looked forward, locking eyes with Angel.

"Spike," Angel said, his voice thick with malice

"Spike?" Wesley sounded confused

Harmony rushed into the office. "Blondie-bear," She squealed in excitement

…

Spike looked around, trying to orient himself. Nothing made sense. There were faces here, faces he didn't know. He clutched his knees to try to prevent himself from toppling to the ground as his legs threatened to give out. Where was the fire? Where was he? He had felt himself melt away. He had felt his skin turn to ash, his organs boil, and his bones explode. Now he was in this unfamiliar place. The only thing that he recognized was- "You," Spike's fangs extended.

"What are you doing here Spike?" Angel asked, eyeing his wall of weapons

Spike rushed Angel. Angel tried to defend himself, but Spike went right through his fellow vampire and ended up standing in the middle of the chair Gunn had been sitting in before Spike had materialized. Spike's fangs retracted as he stared at his position. "Oh bugger,"

…

"He's a ghost!" Fred shouted

"No," Wesley said "He's a vampire."

"Since when can vampires go through furniture?" Gunn asked

"You're dead," Angel marveled

"Well yeah," Harmony scoffed "Who here isn't? Besides the meat bags?" Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne turned to glare at her. "I mean that as an endearing term."

Angel and Spike ignored Harmony. "How?" Angel asked

"What the bloody hell did you do to me?" Spike demanded

"Me?" Angel asked "What are you talking about?"

"You're the one who brought that stupid necklace to Sunny- Buffy!" Spike broke off in the middle of his sentence to shout the slayer's name. "Where is she?"

Wesley knelt down to pick up the necklace. "This is why you went to Sunnydale?"

"Maybe we shouldn't touch it." Angel said

"Seems perfectly harmless." Wesley said

"You've touched enough mystic relics, don't you think?" Angel said

"What are you-" Wesley never got to finish his question.

"It bloody well isn't harmless! Look what it did to me!" Spike exclaimed

"Hold on." Fred said "I'm confused. Who is this guy?"

"This is William the Bloody," Wesley said "One of history's most notorious vampires."

"And he died in Sunnydale when the hellmouth collapsed." Angel said "Buffy told me all about it when she was here for- She said he died in the final battle against the first evil."

"And now he's come back as a ghost?" Gunn said

"Vampires can't become ghosts." Wesley said

"They can't have kids either." Angel muttered

"What?" Wesley asked

"I must be in hell." Spike moaned

"No, just L.A." Lorne said "Trust me, it's way better than hell. Most of them anyway."

"Wes, care to jump in with an explanation?" Angel asked

Wesley looked at the bauble in his hand. "What is this?"

"I don't know." Angel said "Wolfram & Hart told me it was necessary to defeat the first."

"But didn't you go to Sunnydale before we took the deal?" Fred asked

"What deal?" Spike asked "What the hell is this place and who the hell are you people?"

"I'm Lorne." Lorne said "And this is a lovely little law firm called Wolfram & Hart."

"Aren't they evil?" Spike asked

"We're under new management." Gunn said

"Yeah?" Spike asked in a voice mocking interest "And who's that?"

"Me," Angel said

Spike laughed. "Well that's bloody brilliant."

"Okay stop!" Fred put up her hands in a stopping gesture. "I want a real explanation, not a bunch of sentence fragments. Who is this guy and where the heck did he come from?"

Spike examined Fred. "I like her. Who is she?"


	2. Just Rewards

Fred and Wesley shared a concerned look as Angel stood in the doorway to the lab shouting at the departing ghost. "And don't come back Casper!" Angel grunted in frustration.

"There seems to be a lot of history between those two." Fred whispered

"Yes their relationship does seem rather complicated." Wesley whispered back

"I can hear you." Angel said in an annoyed voice

Wes and Fred cleared their throats awkwardly. "So what are we going to do about the friendliest vampire we know?" Lorne asked

"He didn't seem overly friendly to me." Gunn said

"Oh come on." Lorne said and then began to sing "Casper the friendly ghost, the friendliest ghost you know. Though grown-ups might look at him with fright the kids-"

"We get it Lorne, thank you." Angel said

"I was getting to my favorite part." Lorne muttered

"Lorne's question is valid." Wesley said "Fred's readings suggest Spike is more than just a ghost and the fact that someone mailed you the necklace he was contained in when it's supposed to be stuck at the bottom of the hellmouth points to some sort of larger plan. No matter why he's here it's imperative we find out before more sinister forces find him."

"What will they do, kill him?" Angel asked "If only," He muttered

"Angel this is serious." Wesley said "One of only two vampires in all of history to ever possess a soul has died and become a ghost. That means something and we need to know what."

Angel sighed. "You're right."

"Oh and you lied to us." Wesley said

"What?" Angel asked

"You said you went to Sunnydale to see Buffy." Wesley said

"I did!" Angel protested

"No, you went to give her this necklace." Wesley held the necklace up.

"That falls under the seeing her thing." Angel said weakly

"What happened to trusting each other?" Fred asked

"I… I didn't think this particular… was worth mentioning."

"Angel why would Wolfram & Hart give you this before you took the deal?" Wes asked

"Incentive maybe, I don't know. Maybe they just wanted to prove they were legitimate."

"Ok kiddos," Lorne said "Can we get back to the vampire ghost?"

…

Spike came to a stop in the lobby. "Bollocks," He watched the sun shine through the windows onto the lobby floor. He stood in the shadows scowling. How did Angel do this?

"The windows filter out whatever fries vampires. You're safe."

Spike turned to look at the brunette standing next to him. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

She stuck out her hand. "Lilah Morgan," She explained

Spike scoffed and ignored the hand he couldn't take anyway. "How very good for him."

"Angel?"

"No," Spike said sarcastically "The other vampire that works here."

"Actually we have several vampires working here."

"Great, and how do they get out of here?"

"Well most of them have cars." Lilah explained

"Bloody hell," Spike complained

"But I think you can go outside."

"How's that then?"

"You're a ghost Spike. You're already dead and the sun can't make you any deader."

He glared at her. "How do you know so much about me?"

"It's my job." Lilah said

"To know about me?" Spike's tone made it clear he didn't believe her.

"To know everything," She clarified "Which is why it's good I have a few very smart birdies whispering in my ear. They know a lot about you Spike."

"Such as?"

"That you're not leaving this city any time soon."

"Is that right?"

"You're stubborn." Lilah said "You won't believe me until you've tried to get out a few dozen or so times, but when you've given up come back and see me. We'll chat."

"Maybe I don't want to chat with you." Spike said as she turned to go

She walked over to the elevator. "Maybe not," She said casually

"Maybe I don't like snobby bits like you being all cryptic and such."

"Maybe," The elevator door opened and she stepped in.

"Bitch," Spike told the closed door.

…

Angel walked past Harmony's desk. "Angel don't forget about your meeting."

Angel gave her a lethal look. "I didn't forget." He had completely forgotten.

"Okay, but it's in thirty minutes."

"I'll be back in twenty." Angel came to a stop when he saw a ghost walk through the door to the stairwell. Angel sighed. "I thought you were gone." Angel said

"Don't look so disappointed." Spike said

"I am disappointed, get out." Angel said

Spike chuckled. "It's not like I didn't bloody well try." Spike said

"What happened?" Angel asked

"Every time I got to the city limits I popped back into your fancy lobby."

"I suspected as much." Angel turned around to view the speaker. Wesley had walked up to them while looking through a book. "I read everything I could find on the amulet."

"Oh look, Percy's back." Spike said snidely

Angel glared at him and then turned back to Wesley. "Why can't he leave?"

Wesley looked up from his book. "His essence is bound to the amulet. The amulet is the property of Wolfram & Hart so he can't stray too far from this building."

"I'm nobody's bloody property you prat." Spike said

Angel used all of his self-control to force himself to ignore Spike. "So how do we untie his essence or what not?" Angel asked "How do we make it so he can leave the city?"

"We can't." Wesley said "The amulet ties his essence to the world. If Spike's essence becomes unbound from the amulet or the amulet is destroyed his essence will… move on."

"What?" A hint of panic entered Spike's voice. Angel tried not to smirk.

"I can't be absolutely certain, but Fred's reading and my research-"

"Well get absolutely certain you burk!" Spike shouted

"Okay that's enough!" Angel turned to face Spike. "Get out."

"I can't, remember?"

"It's a big city Spike, and this is a big building. Find somewhere else to be."

"Grox-lar beast,"

"What?"

"Behind you,"

Angel turned and saw a Grox-lar exit the elevator. Wesley scurried out of the path of the demon while Angel went into full attack mode. Grox-lars were a powerful breed, but Angel managed to beat it unconscious while the occupants of the hall fled. Angel stood over his beaten foe and looked around for someone to yell at. "How did a Grox-lar get past security?" He barked

"I guess your appointment got here a little early." Harmony said

"What?" Angel snapped at her

Gunn walked down the stairs toward them. "A very punctual race,"

"Hold on a sec," Angel said "I'm meeting with Grox-lars now?"

"Yep," Gunn stood over the unconscious body. "He should be up soon."

"Why is Angel meeting with a Grox-lar?" Wesley asked

"Yeah," Angel said "They eat baby heads."

"Our firm is opening up negotiations with his clan for them to stop practicing human consumption and dine on the heads of the offspring belonging to non-sentiment species."

"Huh?" Harmony said

"No more eating baby heads," Gunn clarified

"So that's good," Angel said

Wesley looked at the immobile body. "And this would be bad."

"Not really," Gunn said "Grox-lars respect a strong opening argument."

"Oh yes you're right." Wesley said "How did you-"

Gunn tapped his head. "Mental upgrade, remember?"

"Right," Wesley said "It takes some getting used to."

"You people," Spike said snidely "What do you think you're doing?"

"We're trying to run a business Spike." Angel said

"No, you're playing chicken with the devil and you're going to lose."

"That's your opinion." Angel said

"No, it's a bloody fact. You're trying to fight fire with fire by shooting the big bad with its own gun. But you forget Angel that our kind doesn't do well with fire. I'm proof of that."

"Well I'm nothing like you." Angel said "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting."

Spike scoffed as he walked off. "Knock yourself out, please."

…

Lilah found Spike exactly where she had known he would be. She was still getting used to those sudden awarenesses the senior partners kept putting in her head; but that didn't stop her from using them to great effect. "So you're back. Given up have you?" She smirked.

"No," Spike said in a petulant voice "Just decided to try a new method,"

"And that would be?"

"What do you want?" Spike snapped

"Only to help you," Lilah said "The senior partners are very invested in your well-being."

"Invested how?" Spike asked

"Haven't you wondered how that pretty bauble got from the bottom of the hellmouth into Angel's office?" Lilah asked "The senior partners went through a lot of trouble to get you here."

"They knew what that necklace would do to me when they gave it to Angel." Spike said

"There is very little they don't know." Lilah said

"What do they want me for?" Spike asked

"A vampire with a soul is a valuable commodity-"

"I'm not a bleeding commodity." Spike protested

"My mistake." Lilah said "What are you then?"

"Apparently I'm a ruddy ghost, one who's sick of you."

…

Fred didn't notice her lab manager standing a few feet away. He had work to do, but he wasn't doing any of it. He was watching her examine the electromagnetic readings taken from the vampire ghost and the necklace he was connected to. Knox wondered what it would take for her to look at him with similar interest. He wondered how he could get her to let him have a closer look at her beautiful neck. He stared at her skin and followed its pattern with his eyes, letting imagination take over where her clothes cut off his view. Knox heard the door to the lab open and he grabbed a file in order to pretend that he was busy. He peeked over the top of the file to watch Wesley enter the lab. He really hated that guy. What did Fred see in him?

Fred looked up from her microscope to see her boyfriend come in. "Hey!"

Wesley mirrored her exuberant smile. "Hey to you too." He approached her and she kissed him. Neither of them noticed their silent observer. "Any news on our specter?"

She shook her head. "I can't find a similar case to compare him to or an explanation for these unprecedented readings. He's a ghost, but he's not." She sighed. "It's vexing."

Wesley moved a strand of hair out of her face and she smiled at him. "If anyone can figure it out, it's you." He leaned forward and kissed her again.

"So did you come all the way down here to ask me that?" She asked

"Well this is an important case." Wesley said "It's got Angel quite frustrated."

"I only ask because we sort of have phones here." Fred teased

"Sure, but anyone could be listening in on a phone conversation."

She moved closer to him. "Were you planning on saying something you didn't want anyone to hear?" She began to fiddle with his shirt collar. She whispered something in his ear.

He turned a watermelon sort of shade. "No, I mean… So no progress on the ghost thing?"

She turned back to her data. "Nope, and I don't think there will be any if we keep running into each other like this. But if a pattern emerges in the data I'll call you."

"Excellent," Wesley said "Good plan,"

"So how frustrated is Angel?" She asked "On a scale of out of hair gel to Darla?"

"Spike was a member of the whirlwind gang." Wesley explained "I think running into any of them drives Angel a little crazy. They remind him of the Angelus days."

"You should talk to him." Fred said "As a friend,"

"I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but Angel isn't big on talking about his feelings."

"I know, but- Of course!" Fred startled to rapidly flip through the paperwork. "If I compare the change in velocity of a beta particle passing through Spike with a beta particle passing through a normal ghost I can compare the ratio of atmospheric disturbance."

"To determine which is more in phase with this dimension?" Wesley asked

"And then we'll know if he is closer to this plane than a normal ghost or farther away."

"Where are you going to get a ghost?"

Fred gave him a seductive grin. "That would sort of be your department…"

Wesley tried and failed to hold in an amused grin. "I'll see what I can do."

"Just don't have anybody killed." Fred said

He gave her an exasperated look. "Because I was going to do that." He said sarcastically

"I mean accidentally." She said "They are a little eager to kill people around here."

"I know. Lorne had to recommend the swat team be dismissed because most of them are psychopathic sexual sadists and one of them is a serial killer. Gunn alerted the authorities."

"The whole team?" Fred asked

Wesley nodded.

Fred shivered. "What about building security?"

"Half of them are okay."

"Well I guess that's better than none." Fred said "When does my department get vetted?"

"All of the department managers are done and the rest of the lab staff should be done this afternoon. Gunn wanted legal to be first but I convinced him an evil scientist is slightly more dangerous considering some of the people here could open a black hole inside the building."

Fred shivered. "They really could. Hell I could with this equipment."

Wesley chuckled. "I'll go find your ghost."

"K," She kissed him again. "See you later. Don't forget to talk to Angel."

Knox watched the Englishman leave. He really hated that guy.

…

Angel sighed. He was trying to keep up with Gunn while Gunn gave him the rundown of all their current cases. Angel kept having to force himself to pay attention. A knock on the door broke him out of his reverie. "Hold on." Angel told Gunn. "Come in." He told the knocker

Wesley entered. "Sorry, I didn't know you were busy."

"I'm not if you have any news on Casper." Angel said

"Fred has an idea, but it will take some time."

Angel sighed again. "That guy needs to go, pronto."

"What is it with you two?" Gunn asked "You're like quarreling ex-lovers."

"We are not!" Angel protested "I just really hate him is all."

"Yeah but why?" Gunn asked

"It doesn't matter." Angel said

"Does it have something to do with him sleeping with your ex?" Gunn asked

Angel glared at Gunn. "No," He said coldly

"It's not good to bottle things in." Wesley said

"Are you oblivious to the irony of you saying that?" Angel asked

Wesley looked a little hurt by that. "Sheesh," Gunn said "Testy much?"

Angel flinched. "I'm sorry guys. Spike's just-"

Harmony popped into the room. "Hey boss."

"I'm in a meeting Harmony." Angel groused

"Gunn, remember the lawyer you sent to meet with that Hainsley guy?" Harmony asked

"Sure," Gunn said "What about him?"

"He's back." Harmony said

"What did Hainsley say?" Gunn said

"I don't know."

Gunn sighed. "Send the lawyer in."

"Okay," Harmony said in a weary tone "Bring him in boys."

Two men came in, each with a couple of buckets. All four of the blood-filled buckets were set on Angel's desk. Wesley, Gunn, and Angel peered into the buckets at the remains of the lawyer Gunn had sent to meet with Hainsley. "I hope he was evil." Angel said

"Was it Magnus Hainsley you sent him to meet with?" Wes asked "The necromancer?"

"Yeah," Gunn said "Why?"

"He's notoriously brutal and bloodthirsty." Wesley said

"Individual client files weren't in the legal upgrade." Gunn said "I guess I should have read Hainsley's entire file before sending someone to meet with him, but I've been rushing through cases to get through everything with a non-existent staff. Sorry guys,"

"This isn't your fault." Angel said "What's Hainsley's address?"

"What are you going to do?" Wesley asked

"Something violent,"

"Angel, Hainsley is a necromancer." Wesley said

"Yeah, you mentioned." Angel said

"He has power over the dead." Wesley said

"I know what a necromancer is Wesley." Angel said peevishly

"Angel _you're _dead." Wesley said "How are you going to fight him?"

"I'll figure it out. We can't let people kill our employees and not react."

"If I might interject," Gunn said

"Only if you promise to stop talking like Lilah." Angel said

"I know how to punish Hainsley. No muss, no fuss; well a little fuss on his part."

…

Harmony watched Spike approach and walk right by her desk. "He's not in there."

Spike turned to look at her, or rather through her. "Where's the big man?"

"Oh that's real nice. You show up here at my work after we've been done for years and pretend like we were never even a thing? God, what is your psychological baggage?" Spike started to leave without another word. "He's downstairs. He's going to meet a necromancer."

Spike changed direction. He declined to thank or acknowledge Harmony.

…

Angel stared at the array of beautiful cars in front of him. He displayed the boyish grin he hid deep inside when he was around people. But he was alone now and didn't have to keep up the brooding façade. He could just gaze at his beautiful cars. "This is going to be great." He said

Angel got in the viper. "So bloody predictable."

Angel sighed as he looked at the blond ghost, or whatever the hell he was. "What do you want Spike? I have important work to do. I can't be your babysitter."

Spike chuckled. "No need, I found myself a purpose."

"What's that?"

"I'm your ghost. I'm going to haunt you for all of eternity."

"We'll see about that." Angel got out of the viper and into another car.

"Yes we will." Spike was in that car.

"I hate you so much."

…

Harmony watched Lilah approach. "He left."

"What?" Lilah looked at Harmony as if previously unaware of her presence.

"Angel is meeting with some necromancer."

"I know." Lilah said

"Then what are you doing here?" Harmony asked

"I'm just keeping an eye on things. That's my job."

"Oh, great." Harmony spoke in a thick voice as she rubbed her eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Lilah's voice was not kind.

"It's nothing."

"Okay," Lilah shrugged and started to walk away.

"Do you know what it's like to care about someone who doesn't even know you? Do you know what it's like to give away a part of yourself and have it rejected?" Harmony asked

Lilah turned back around and stared at Harmony. "What are we talking about?"

"Spike acts like he doesn't even remember us." Harmony said

"Maybe he doesn't want to remember." Lilah said "Maybe you're not memorable."

"What?" Harmony started to cry. "Why would you say that?"

"I'm an evil bitch. I say mean things." Lilah walked away, pretending Harmony's question had no meaning for her. She pretended she hadn't been cut up inside.

…

Angel knocked on the door to Hainsley's mansion. A butler opened the door and looked at the two vampires with utter contempt. "Can I help you sirs?" The butler asked

"Yeah Jarvis," Spike said "We're here to see Hainsley."

"Ignore him." Angel said "_I'm_ here to see Hainsley."

"Mr. Hainsley is occupied."

"_Un_occupy him." Angel said "Tell him I'm from Wolfram & Hart."

"In that case sirs, come in." The butler led them inside.

"Jarvis?" Angel asked Spike

"What, you don't read comic books?"

"I'm more of a DC fan." Angel said "Batman,"

Spike shook his head. "Of course you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angel asked

"Only that you're about as transparent as a pane of glass." Spike said

"That's one ghostly quality I wish you'd take on. Of course it wouldn't stop you from talking, but at least I wouldn't have to look at you anymore and that's some comfort." Angel said

The butler led them into a parlor and closed the door. "If you will take a seat?"

"Where's Hainsley?" Angel asked

"He will be here when I'm done with you. Mr. Hainsley instructed me to deal with any more men that come from Wolfram & Hart." The butler took a pair of swords off the wall.

"Ha," Spike laughed "Wouldn't it be funny if you got done in by an old geezer?"

"I don't suppose one of those is for me?" Angel asked in regards to the swords

"No," The butler said "They're both for me." The butler ran at Spike and drove the swords through the incorporeal vampire. The butler stared at Spike, uncomprehending, while the ghost just stood there looking bored. Angel grabbed the swords and threw them aside. He took hold of the butler and threw him into the unlit fireplace. The butler lay there, unconscious.

"Nice," Spike said "You beat up an old man, congratulations."

"Shut up." Angel said "Let's go find Hainsley."

"What are we like a team now?"

"No, you're a pest I need to exorcise. Stay here, I don't care."

Spike followed Angel down the hall. He might be a ghost, but he wasn't going to just lie down and accept his fate. Angel was responsible for all of this and Spike would torment him until Angel could take no more and had to either help Spike or get rid of him, preferably the first of those options. Angel threw open a pair of doors. The necromancer was standing over the body of a beautiful young woman muttering in an old language. He turned to take in the sight of the two dead people who had invaded his home. "What do you want?" Hainsley asked

"You killed one of my employees." Angel said

"So you're the famous vampire the senior partners are so interested in?"

"That'd be me." Angel agreed

"And you got my message?"

"Yeah, I got your message." Angel said in his best menacing voice

"I don't much care for your new regime. Now look I'm not one of those die-hard chaos, blood, and gore fellows, but I run a business. I have needs that have to be met and when the company I pay a lot of money refuses to continue- what's so funny?" Angel was wearing an amused grin. Hainsley was quite put off by it. "Well answer me. What's so amusing?"

"I was just thinking about the last guy who protested how I run Wolfram & Hart."

"Oh yes, Fries. I heard you got him off." Hainsley's tone was smug.

"Then you didn't hear the whole story." Angel pulled out a cellphone.

"What are you doing?" Hainsley asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice

Angel dialed a number. "Gunn, do it." Angel hung up the phone.

"Who was that?"

"That was the head of our legal department. He just turned all of your books over to the IRS and exercised a loophole in your contract to liquidate your assets which we will be seizing the remains of when the IRS is done with you as back-fees. You owe us quite a bit of money."

"For what?" Hainsley demanded

"If you feel you've been mistreated you can sue us. But we're your lawyers and you won't be able to hire another law firm with your current lack of funds even if anyone out there was stupid enough to try and take us on. I believe this would be a checkmate."

Hainsley extended his arm and Angel felt his body go numb. He couldn't move any part of himself and he felt an expanding area of pain in his gut. "That looks painful." Spike said

"I should kill you." Hainsley said

"Yeah! Kill him!" Spike cheered

Angel wanted to tell Spike off, but he couldn't move his mouth. All at once he felt the necromancer's control disappear and Angel stumbled, almost breaking his face against the hard tile floor. "The senior partners would not allow such an insult to go unanswered." Hainsley said

"I'd take a good look around Hainsley. The bank will be coming for this place soon."

"Don't be so cocky vampire. You may think you're on top of the world but I assure you that whatever plans the senior partners have for you will be in the long run no more pleasant than the painful death I would have granted you. My death would have been swifter at least."

Angel chuckled. "I can handle myself." Angel started to leave.

"Don't count on it vampire." Angel ignored Hainsley. "You are only a pawn!"

"Can you believe that guy?" Angel asked Spike as they left

"If by that guy you mean a certain broody vampire than no." Spike replied

"What are you talking about?" Angel's irritation was carried on every word.

"What happened to you? How did you become this?"

"You wouldn't understand." Angel said "You don't know what it means to sacrifice yourself for the people you love. I made a tough call, but it needed to be done."

Spike stared at Angel in disbelief. "I sacrificed my life for love."

Angel rolled his eyes. "You don't know what love-" Spike vanished.

Angel looked around. "Spike?"

…

Spike blinked and cocked his head quizzically at Hainsley. "Wha-"

"Power over the dead," Hainsley said "Remember?"

"Right," Spike said "Well what do you want?"

"Many things, but first satisfy my curiosity. What are you? You're not a ghost."

"I'm close enough." Spike said "I can't touch anything, effect anything."

"What if you could?"

"I'm not big on the what ifs." Spike looked at the table where the beautiful dead woman still lay. A part of him mourned for her. "I can't so I don't think about it."

"We both know that's a lie."

"What are you my therapist now?"

"No, but I think we have a mutual enemy."

Spike appraised Hainsley. "Angel?"

"If I kill him the senior partners will have my head."

"Sucks for you."

"Not necessarily."

…

Gunn marveled at the sound of someone knocking on his office door. It still sometimes stunned him that he had his own office and people that answered to him. "Come in."

Lorne entered. "Your aura feels cheerful."

"I got a lot done today." Gunn said, a little stunned by that as well.

"And you can get a lot more done tomorrow. I came here to tell you that I start clearing legal first thing in the morning. Soon you'll have an actual staff you can delegate tasks to."

"Good," Gunn said "Thanks; now I can use my coffee break for drinking coffee."

"You know," Lorne said "Without you we would have already crashed and burned."

"Thanks," Gunn said

"So what's on your mind?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something is up." Lorne said

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Lorne gave Gunn a look. "It's me."

Gunn smiled. "I'm fine." He looked down at the files on his desk. "I feel better than I have in a long time. I'm really making a difference now, in a lot of people's lives."

"True," Lorne said "And that's something to be happy about. But I'm sensing a little fear under all of that joy. I can't tell if you're afraid of this new power, or afraid you'll lose it."

Gunn stared at Lorne, unsure. Then he laughed. "A little of both I guess."

"That's normal." Lorne said "As normal as any of this can be."

"I'm still me." Gunn said "You know that right?"

"We all do." Lorne said

"I feel like everyone is looking at me differently."

"We're all a little different. It's just most obvious with you."

"You think so? That we're all different? We've only been here a couple of days."

"Change is a natural part of life. We're all adjusting to our new places. Try not to worry too much about change and just focus on making those changes positive." Lorne said

Gunn grinned. "Thanks Lorne. I think I really needed to hear that."

"Any time; I just wish I could help Angel with his problem."

"Spike?" Gunn asked

"In a way. Spike's not the problem, how Angel is dealing with him is."

"What should Angel do?" Gunn asked

…

Angel went out the front door and headed toward his car. It was odd how Spike had just disappeared like that, but Angel put the ghost out of his mind. With any luck Spike would stay gone, but the blond vampire was like a bad penny; he would show up sooner or later. Angel's suspicions were confirmed when he got in the car and Spike was waiting for him. "You were just going to drive off and leave me? I'm deeply hurt." Spike said in his typical mocking tone

"Well I figured I might be granted a brief respite from you." Angel said

"You might want to know that I saw necro in there working on some spell."

"What spell?" Angel asked

…

Lilah heard the sound of a woman crying as she loitered in the hall where the most important offices were. Lilah entered the area in front of Angel's office and saw Harmony weeping at her desk. Lilah sighed and turned to walk away. She stopped when she realized she had nowhere to walk to. Angel was still out dealing with Hainsley. Wesley was down in the lab whispering sweet nothings in his lover's ear. Gunn was in his office, but he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. There was no reason to go and bother him because he was right where he was supposed to be at this stage of the senior partners' plans. He was adjusting to how things were done here and becoming more comfortable with it by the hour. Lilah supposed she could go down to the lab and bother the lovers, but she knew the confrontation would hurt her more than it hurt them. She hated that. It made her furious. She needed someone to take her fury out on.

Lilah walked up to Harmony's desk. "Quit your pathetic mewling."

Harmony looked up at the intimidating woman. "What?"

"What do you have to cry about?" Lilah demanded

"Leave me alone." Harmony said "You have no idea what I'm going through."

Lilah rolled her eyes. "It must be so hard to be eternally young as well as gainfully employed despite your obvious inability to complete even the simplest of tasks or show even a semblance of professionalism. Yes, your life must be a tragedy." Lilah said

"Why do you hate me so much?" Harmony asked

"I'd have to care about you to hate you, and I don't." Lilah didn't allow Harmony to respond, she walked over to the elevator. Lilah had vented some of the malice in her heart and felt much calmer. Maybe she would go bother Lorne. The sound of Harmony crying was no longer grating to her. As the door to the elevator closed Lilah was soothed by the sound.

…

Angel walked down the hall with Spike close behind him. They approached the room where Hainsley had been working on the poor young woman's corpse. Angel entered the room and not only didn't see Hainsley working on a spell, he didn't see the man at all. "He's not in here Spike. Are you sure this is where-" Angel felt his body seize up. Hainsley entered Angel's view from a shadow. Angel tried to speak, but couldn't. He felt his body jerk over to the table where the woman's body had been before. Angel laid out on the table. He stared at the ceiling, unable to move his eyes. It was a terrifying sensation to have no control over one's own body.

"Sorry Angel." Spike said "I try to play for the good guys now, but I had to choose between me and you. I don't like you enough to choose you. I saved the world. I stopped the first evil with my sacrifice and I deserve better than this. I don't deserve to be a ghost, trapped between two worlds. Necro here is going to put me in your body. All I have to do in return is reverse that legal stuff you did to him and convince the senior partners you're still here."

Angel struggled to move his mouth. "You. Son. Of a. Bitch." He managed to say

"Don't be so petty Angel. You've earned a rest. I'll take over. I'll take up the mantle of humanity's champion and all the perks that come with it. I'm thinking you might want to get back together with a certain blond slayer. Maybe you'll have a go at the cute lab rat first. She seems like a goer. All sweetness on the outside, lots of naughty on the inside." Spike leered.

"Go to hell." Angel said

"No," Spike said "But you might. You're about to find out if you've done enough good deeds to balance out your many sins. I'd start praying if I were you. Let's do this necro."

Hainsley grinned. "I've never done this with a conscious dead body before."

"Think it will hurt?" Spike asked

"I should imagine so." Hainsley said

"Oh goody," Spike seemed saturated with glee.

Hainsley hovered his hand over Angel's abdomen. Angel felt a sensation akin to worms squirming in his gut. Hainsley reached into Angel, his hand sliding into the vampire as though Angel were made of butter. The pain was excruciating. Hainsley reached for Spike with his other hand and began to absorb the ghost's essence. Hainsley froze. "What are you-" Angel felt his paralysis dissipate. He sat up and punched Hainsley then leapt from the table to face the bloody-nosed necromancer. "Nice try," Hainsley said "But I control the dead. I control-" Hainsley doubled over in pain. He tried to raise his hand to incapacitate Angel, but was unsuccessful.

"And now a dead person controls you. That's like ironic or something." Angel said

Hainsley rushed forward to attack Angel with his bare hands. Angel punched the necromancer and threw him into the table. The wizard lay in a heap on the floor. Spike stepped out of the dead body. "Well that was fun. We should do this more often."

"Thanks for your help." Angel said in a begrudging tone "That was a good plan."

"Well if I let you die Buffy would never let me hear the end of it."

Angel made a noncommittal sound.

"But you owe me one." Spike said

"Sure," Angel conceded "I owe you one."

"Now let's get out of here." Spike said "This place makes me long for the delightful atmosphere of the soulless bureaucracy you work at." Spike left the room and headed for the car.

…

"So when Hainsley used his powers to summon Spike and offer him a new lease on life, well a new lease on death actually, he pretended to go along with it and then warned you of his plans as well as offering up a plan to counter Hainsley's?" Wesley sounded impressed as he sat in Angel's office discussing the day's events with him. "It sounds like Spike was very helpful."

"Well anything can happen once." Angel muttered

"Spike might be a valuable asset." Wesley said "And he is stuck here for the time being."

"Please tell me you're not suggesting Spike join the team." Angel begged

"Well we have to do something with him." Wesley said "The poor man is a ghost, there are very few opportunities for him. And until we find out more about his condition we should keep him close for examination. His presence here means something Angel."

Angel sighed. "Spike isn't much of a team player. He clearly doesn't respect you."

Wesley shrugged. "I'm used to people not respecting me."

Angel stared at Wesley for a moment. "You know that's really sad."

"It doesn't matter." Wesley said

"Of course it matters, you matter." Angel protested

Wesley chuckled. "That's not what I meant. It doesn't matter because I have the respect of the people I care about. People like Spike or- It doesn't bother me that some people don't respect me because the people I admire respect me and that's what I give credence to."

Angel smiled at his friend. "That's a nice way to look at life."

Wesley returned Angel's smile. "If we spend our whole lives trying to please other people we'll drive ourselves insane. I'm happy with who I am, and where I am."

"Good," Angel wondered if Wesley would still be saying that if he knew all of this, including the memories that made him think like that, was fake. He pushed the thought from his mind and resolved to stop thinking like that. His friend was happy, why think any further into it?

…

Fred examined the data. The more data she compiled the more she learned about the nature of Spike's existence, but none of her findings were leading her to an answer to the most important question. Why was he here? Why was he still in this dimension and not- "Hey,"

Fred gasped and looked up from her paperwork. Spike was standing in front of her desk watching her with an inscrutable expression. "Wha- Can I help you with something?"

"I hope so."

"What is it?" Her heart was still pounding.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. I couldn't do any damage even if I wanted to."

"I'm not afraid of you." She protested

"Good, you seem like a nice girl. I'd hate to have you prejudiced against me."

"What do you want?" She asked "You said you hoped I could help you with something."

"You're some kind of genius right?" He asked "Scanners, flashing lights, and the like."

"I'm a scientist, a physicist to be precise." She told him

"So if anyone can help me, it's you."

"Help you with what?"

"I'm slipping love." Spike explained "I can feel it. I walk these halls and I feel another world beneath me, pulling at me. It's not a nice place, not the kind of place a pretty face like you likes to think about when she's living her lovely life. It's a hot place, full of monsters."

"Well I know something about monsters." Fred said softly "And hells,"

Spike gave her a curious look. "Really?"

"Yeah, I've been to one."

"Then you can understand my desire not to go to this place."

"Yeah, I do."

"You'll help me then?"

Fred examined him. Beneath his usual cocky demeanor and laid-back expression a very vulnerable man hid. Now that man was revealing himself to her. He was showing her his vulnerability, his helplessness. She was startled to realize that was what he was. "Helping the helpless is sort of what we do." Fred said "Of course I'll help you."

He smiled. It wasn't the playful or pejorative smile she had often seen him with today; it was a smile of appreciation. She had a feeling he wasn't used to expressing gratitude. She returned his smile. "Thanks pet," He said "If there's any way I can repay you-"

"No, that's not necessary."


	3. Unleashed

Fred swirled her chopsticks through the noodles in her take-out container from the gang's favorite Chinese restaurant. She collected a large clump of noodles and deposited the whole collection in to her mouth. "Wow," Gunn said from where he sat across from her at the picnic table they were all sitting at "Are you hungry Fred or did someone tell you all of this food was going to disappear in thirty seconds?" He pushed his greasy orange chicken around its Styrofoam container with a plastic fork while she gave him an uncomprehending look. "Never mind,"

"Remind me again why we have to have this meeting outside at midnight in a deserted park when we have a perfectly serviceable conference room back at the office." Lorne said

"I just wanted us to go over everything somewhere they couldn't spy on us." Angel said

"So we're hiding from Lilah?" Gunn asked

"I'm not hiding from Lilah." Angel protested "The conference room could be bugged."

"I swept for bugs." Fred said with a mouth full of noodles

"It could be enchanted." Angel said

"I swept for enchantments." Wesley reminded Angel

"Look that building belongs to Wolfram & Hart and I will never feel one hundred percent secure while we're there." Angel said "We've been there for a little over a month and I think things are going pretty well, better than I expected even. But as nice as that is I just want to make sure that we can all get together and talk without having to censor ourselves. Okay?"

"Okay fearless leader." Lorne said "No need to get defensive."

"Well I've got nothing to report that I haven't already shared at the office." Gunn said

"Me either," Lorne said "Unless I forgot to mention that spoiled celebrities are not as much fun to hang out with as you might think. Oh and the church of scientology-"

Wesley held up his hand. "Please Lorne, if you're going to tell that awful story again wait until you have a captive audience of underlings. Once was quite enough for me."

"Just you bringing it up is making me feel queasy." Fred said, rubbing her stomach

"They're one of our most profitable clients." Lorne said

"On paper," Gunn said "Most of our most profitable clients are divided into seemingly unrelated corporations that can be emptied of funds and cut off if connected to a scandal."

"As great as that is," Angel said "It's not related to why we're here. Is anybody concerned about anything? Now's the time to bring it up and figure out what to do."

"I can't think of anything." Fred said

"Me neither," Wesley said "Whatever devious plans the senior partners are enacting I've yet to see any evidence of what they might be. Everything seems to be going well."

Angel stood up, suddenly full of nervous energy. "But they are up to something."

"Maybe they haven't started their evil plan yet." Gunn said

"Gunn their evil plan has been in motion for millennia." Angel said "We're just the next small part of it. They brought us here for a reason and I need to know what it is."

Wesley took on a considering tone. "Maybe they're trying to study us. The senior partners have gone up against Angel several times and he has rarely behaved as they anticipated he would. Perhaps they want to learn more about the vampire with a soul in order to plan their next move. Perhaps this is their objective. They want to watch us, to see what we can do."

"That seems a little simplistic." Angel said

"Not to mention quite an investment." Lorne said "How much are they shelling out for our little operation? Why would the senior partners spend so much money just to-"

"Actually," Gunn said "We're shaping up to be the firm's top earner this quarter."

"We are?" Angel was stunned.

"Yeah, didn't you read the report I had sent to your office this morning?" Gunn asked

"I read it." Angel said and then lowered his voice "Didn't necessarily understand…"

"We're grossing more money on a weekly basis than any other branch." Gunn said

"How are we doing that?" Fred asked "All of the other branches are using sneaky underhanded tactics. Shouldn't we be at a disadvantage because we have, you know, morals?"

"Sure," Gunn said "But we have other advantages."

"Like what?" Angel asked

"Every disadvantage is an advantage you're not using properly." Gunn said "We think differently than the people who used to run this place. We see people as people, not assets."

"So it's the human touch?" Fred said cheerily "That sounds nice."

Wesley smiled at her, warmed by her sunny disposition. "Yes it does."

"Sure," Gunn said "But a little removed from reality."

"So what's the reality?" Angel asked

"That we're the only ones who don't have to worry about furthering the senior partners' apocalyptic agenda or fear bothering the wrong client and getting our heads chopped off. We're the only branch with a real free hand and exercising that free hand is very profitable."

"So we're making the bad guys money?" Angel asked "Isn't that bad?"

"Not when we're stealing it from other bad guys and can use it to help good guys."

They all paused to consider Gunn's statement. Finally Lorne spoke. "Hey guys, remember when the world made sense? Remember when you knew what side you were on?"

"We know what side we're on." Gunn said "Nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed." Fred protested

"You're right." Gunn said "Now we actually matter."

"Are you saying we didn't before?" Wesley asked

"I'm saying we can live like real people now. We don't have to be the penny-pinching shadow-stalking mercenaries who are always fighting blind and are constantly fighting for our lives as much as we are our ultimate goal. I mean how many times were we a few seconds or a few inches away from certain death? How often were we the victims as much as we were the saviors? We've all almost died more times than I can count. Now we can do more good than we ever did and do it in a nice air-conditioned office instead of running around that musty old hotel hoping a hoard of vampires doesn't break in and one of us doesn't get infected with demon blood and go on a psychotic rampage." Gunn's voice had slowly risen over the course of his rant and his tone become more impassioned. But he came to a sudden stop after the last sentence and stared at his friends, realizing what he had said. They were all silently staring at him.

"Well that escalated quickly." Lorne said after a while

"I'm sorry." Gunn said "I just… I think you're all ignoring how much we all got out of this deal. How many scientists get to work in, much less run, the kind of lab you have Fred?"

Fred glared at Gunn. "We're not here for fancy toys. This isn't about the perks."

"Well maybe it is for Gunn." Wesley said

Gunn glared at the Englishman. "We all got nice things. I guess I'm the only one who doesn't have a problem with enjoying them. Would you prefer I go back to dressing like a homeless person and acting like the ghetto-trash people expect me to be?"

"Wow," Lorne said "Did this just turn into a racial thing? I would like to point out that I am not a member of the white middle class. My people have been just as subjugated as yours."

Everyone stared at Lorne, incredulous. Then Fred began to giggle. One by one the fang gang burst into laughter. They couldn't contain themselves. "Wha-What?" Fred asked through her chuckles "What people? You might me the only Pylean in this dimension."

"Making me one of the most underrepresent minorities in the country," Lorne said

"Okay," Gunn said as he stopped laughing "I got a little carried away."

"I see your point Gunn." Angel said "We did all get nice things. I guess some of us just felt like if we enjoyed them that was a point for the senior partners. But we do all work hard and deserve a little compensation. You got your cool new legal gig and I got my great motor pool."

"Running a state of the art lab is something I used to dream about." Fred said

"I do enjoy the glamour of dealing with starlets instead of slime demons." Lorne said

"What about you Wes?" Gunn asked "What did you get?"

Wesley looked at his friends. "I…" He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a pen. "They gave me a new pen. Sterling, has my name on it."

Fred held back another giggle. "It's a very nice pen."

"Wow," Gunn said "That's not a façade, you really are that dull."

Wesley glared at him. "He's not dull." Fred said "I'll have you know-"

Angel interrupted her. "Can I borrow your pen?" He asked Wesley

Wes looked confused. "Sure," He handed Angel the pen.

Angel took off running. "I missed something." Lorne said

…

Angel followed the sound of a woman's screams and the scent of a werewolf that followed those screams. He chased them until the beast came into view. It towered over the woman and slashed at her. Angel grabbed the beast by the shoulders and threw it to the side where it stumbled but didn't fall. It lunged for Angel, but Angel stabbed the beast with Wesley's fancy pen. The werewolf collapsed and transformed into its human form. Angel saw a middle-aged man with poor grooming habits. Angel heard the sound of a starting car and turned around to look for the woman. She was gone. Angel swore. He looked down at the dead werewolf and smelt the woman's blood. By the time the sun set tomorrow she would be just like her attacker.

…

Angel, Gunn, and Fred entered the lab in a hurry. Angel sighed when he saw Lilah sitting on a desk leering at him. "Hey boss," She said "What's all the commotion about?"

"What are you doing here?" Fred asked

"I heard Angel put the staff on high alert. High alert sounds important." Lilah explained

"Just ignore her." Angel said "We have important things to focus on."

"My department will text me when the information on our dead wolf comes in. He's on a slab and Wesley is sending down a cryptozoologist to take a look. Lorne has the psychics trying to get a read on the blood you identified as the girl's that the techs took a sample of." Gunn said

"Good," Angel said "I sketched the girl." He handed a beautiful rendering of a young woman to Gunn. "Is there any way we can get this out there to have people on the look-out?"

"I'm on it." Gunn took the pad and walked off.

"Don't worry Angel." Fred said "We'll find this girl."

"But will you find her in time?" Lilah asked "That's the question."

"I don't suppose you have anything helpful to say." Fred said

"Nope, it's mostly just scorn and derision." Lilah said

"Those words mean the same thing." Fred said

"Yes, both are what I feel toward you." Lilah grinned at the scientist.

Fred turned away from the dead lawyer to look at Angel. "I'll test her blood for any contagions that might give us a clue to who she is. Maybe she has a rare disease."

"Let's hope so." Angel paused "That came out wrong."

"No it didn't." Fred said "That's what's so horrible."

Angel watched Fred head up the stairs to her office. "She's dedicated." Lilah said

"Don't talk about her." Angel replied

"I didn't say anything bad. I could you know. It's her fault I'm dead."

Angel quickly looked around to see if anyone had overheard. "Shut up."

"Angel no one is listening to us."

"Never bring up the wiped memories. Never. Do you understand?"

Lilah put up her hands in surrender. "I understand."

"Good," Angel left the lab without giving Lilah a second glance. Lilah watched him walk away as she stood among the lab technicians running about doing their work. She looked up toward the door to Fred's office. Lilah considered going up there to bother her, but didn't.

…

Fred poured over the lab reports on her desk. Normal cholesterol, no STDs, iron levels well within range for a young female, nothing stood out on the report. "Any luck?"

She gasped. She looked over her shoulder at the ghost who had just come through the wall and spoken to her. "Spike, you scared me. What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd see if you made any progress."

"We don't have any way to identify this woman yet." Fred said "But we have unexhausted avenues to explore. We have until sunset to find her; we will." Fred smiled.

Spike couldn't help but mirror her smile. Her hopeful demeanor was endearing, which was odd because Spike usually hated chipper people. He supposed what was different about her was that she wasn't hopeful because she thought things were just going to work themselves out; rather she was determined to do everything she could to find a solution. It was her faith in herself and her colleagues that kept her in good cheer, not blind optimism. "Right, werewolf girl. I heard about that. But see I was actually coming to see if you had any news on yours ghostly."

"This takes precedence Spike. This girl is going to turn at moonrise and if we don't find her before that she'll kill or turn somebody else. We can't allow that to happen."

"I get it." Spike said "No need to worry about the ghost. It's not as if he's going to get any deader. He might get sucked into hell, but no need to concern yourself about that."

"Spike," Fred looked hurt and Spike regretted what he had said. "I'm doing my best."

"I know." He said softly "I'm sorry. You focus on werewolf girl. I'll be fine."

She watched him go and felt a pang in her chest. She wondered what it must be like for him to watch people living their lives around him while he didn't have one of his own.

…

Angel stood in Lorne's office staring at a fuzzy picture of a bedroom. "This is the best the psychics can do?" Angel asked "You've got to be kidding me. This is useless."

"Simmer down honey buns." Lorne said "The techs took an imprint of the unidentified woman's tire treads and Fred is analyzing them now. Plus I've got members of my staff comparing the sketch you drew to the DMV database. She drove off, so she must have a license."

"They'll find her then." Angel said "Problem solved?"

"There's no way to get through the whole database in one day. It's a shot in the dark."

Angel clenched his fists and grunted in frustration. "I have to find this girl."

"I see that." Lorne said "Care to share why?"

"What do you mean? This is an innocent girl. I have to save her before she…"

Lorne waited, but Angel didn't finish. "Becomes a monster?" Lorne finished

Angel hesitated. "Whatever is happening to her isn't her fault. It's mine, because I wasn't fast enough to prevent her from getting scratched. But if she turns and hurts somebody she'll have to carry that burden for the rest of her life. I can't let that happen."

"No you can't." Lorne said "And no you won't. I have an idea."

"Do I have to sing?" Angel asked

"I'm afraid so sugar-bear."

…

Harmony watched Lilah approach and scowled. "What do you want?"

"To see the big man, not that it's any concern of yours." Lilah responded

"He's not in there."

"Fine, there are other people to bother on this hall." Lilah walked over to Wesley's office and went in without knocking. She saw the Englishman look up from his books.

"Oh, it's you."

"It's me." She said in a happy voice "Aren't you glad?"

"What do you want?" He didn't sound angry, just exasperated. This bothered Lilah. She loved to infuriate people, but to be relegated to the low standing of inconvenience hurt her pride.

"I just wanted to see how it was going with werewolf girl."

"Angel and Lorne are following up a lead with the cryptozoologist. If they find her they'll bring her back here." He appraised her. "Why the sudden interest in this girl?"

"I'm interested in anything Angel is interested in." Lilah said "That's my job."

"It must burn."

"What do you mean?"

"You used to run this place didn't you?"

Lilah smiled at Wesley. "Yes I did."

"So this is sort of a demotion." Wesley said "Now you work for your mortal enemy."

"Angel's not my enemy." Lilah said

"Really?" Wesley's tone made it clear that he didn't believe her.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a very simplistic worldview?" She asked

"Why do you ask? Do you think that my black and white perspective is outdated?"

"I think it's fake. You and I both know that there is a darkness in you. Your little girlfriend has seen it. You somehow convinced her that it wasn't the real you, but I know better than that. When Billy touched you he brought all the nastiness in you to the forefront. You can pretend you're a good man, but it's a costume. You're repressing the animal you have caged inside and unlike werewolves there are more than three days a month it can get out. One day you'll be with miss sweetness and light and you'll snap. You'll rip her apart. You can sit there with that horrified expression on your face and tell yourself I'm just playing with your head, but you know I'm right. You know your love is the worst thing that ever happened to her."

Wesley stared at Lilah. His voice was very low and quiet when he spoke. "Get out."

"Sure thing love, I'll see you later." Lilah left the office, having accomplished her objective. She walked past Harmony's desk and the vampire glared at her. "Bye Harm,"

Lilah got into the elevator with a self-satisfied look on her face. Harmony got up and walked over to Wesley's office. The door had been left open and she saw the man sitting at his desk, staring at nothing. "Wesley," Harmony said in an unobtrusive voice

His eyes snapped over to her. He hadn't even noticed she was there. "Harmony,"

"Are you okay?"

"Sure. Yeah. Of course." Each assurance was less convincing than the last.

"Listen, I don't know what that bitch said to you, but ignore her."

Wesley smiled at her. "Are you trying to comfort me?"

Harmony shrugged. "I guess."

"Why? Why do you care? I'm not trying to offend, but you don't have a soul." Wes said

"I'm not offended. You're right, I don't."

"So then why do you care if I'm all right?"

"You gave me a second chance when you picked me for this job." Harmony explained

"Is that all it takes?" Wesley asked

"It's just that people aren't usually nice to me." Harmony said

"They should be." Wesley said "You're a nice person- vampire, whichever you prefer."

Harmony smiled at him. "Thanks. Do you need a cup of coffee or something? My coffee getting skills have dramatically improved over the last month."

Wesley chuckled. "I'm sure they have, but no thanks."

"K, bye," Harmony waved and left.

Wesley leaned back in his chair and stared at the wall some more, thinking.

…

Angel parked the van across the street from the address Lorne had told him. "Is this it?"

Lorne looked through the window at the house. "She's in there." Lorne said

"Are you ready?" Angel asked the cryptozoologist

"Sure thing," The man said nervously "But I'm not exactly used to field work."

"You'll do fine. The sun hasn't even started to set yet. If things get out of hand just tranquilize the girl and then run back to the van? Got it?" Angel asked

"Could I just wait in the car?" The man asked

"No," Angel said "Let's go."

"I think I will stay here though." Lorne said "The girl might be a bit frightened if she sees a red-eyed horned demon at her front door when she opens it."

"Good call," Angel said "Let's go Doctor…"

"Royce, Dr. Royce."

"I remembered." Angel said "Let's go Dr. Royce."

Angel got out of the van holding a thick black umbrella and the nervous man followed while Lorne waited in the front of the van. Angel and the doctor approached the front door and then Angel knocked. The doctor kept looking back at the van. A woman opened the door, too old to be the one Angel had saved. "Can I help you… gentlemen?" She looked at the umbrella.

Angel held up his fake I.D. "We're from the CDC."

"The center for disease control?" The woman sounded alarmed. "Did something happen at the hospital? Have I been exposed to something? I have a young child, is she in danger?"

"Calm down miss." Angel said in his best soothing voice "How many people live here?"

The woman did her best to conceal her panic. "Me, my sister Nina, and my daughter."

"How old is Nina?" Angel asked

"Twenty-two, why?"

"We have reports that a young woman who lives here was attacked by a rabid animal."

"Rabies?!" The woman was freaking out now. "Nina!" The woman left her doorway to walk over to the staircase. "Nina are you all right?! Nina can you come down?!" The woman started up the staircase and Angel followed her, leaving his umbrella by the door. The woman gasped when she came to an open door that led into a room with an open window. The vanity had been knocked over, the mirror was in pieces. "I don't understand." The woman said

"Did you hear anything?" Angel asked

"No, I was downstairs cooking and then you knocked and then…" The woman was panicking and Angel's heart went out to her. "Where is my sister? What's going on?"

"I'm going to find your sister." Angel said "I promise."

…

Angel, Fred, Wesley, Gunn, and Lorne gathered in the conference room. "My techs took samples of epithelial cells and collected fingerprints. We are comparing the DNA from the skin cells to the blood from the victim. All of the fingerprints in that room belong to the residents, if Nina Ash was abducted her assailants wore gloves." Fred told Angel

"Werewolf hunting is not uncommon in North America." Wesley said "But the wolves are usually hunted while in their animal form. If Nina's abduction is related to her condition, which statistically is far more likely than it being unrelated, than it is almost certain that her location and appearance was leaked by somebody in this building."

"Lorne can you read all of the people who knew where we were going?" Angel asked

Lorne stood up. "I'll have Harmony help me get everyone together."

"Good," Angel said as the Pylean left "If this is a werewolf hunter, is Nina dead?"

"Unlikely," Wesley said "Most hunters like to take trophies."

"That's sick." Fred said

"Agreed," Wesley said "But good for Nina, as it means we have time to find her."

"Very little time," Gunn said "About six hours,"

"Then we'll find her in six hours." Angel said

…

Fred entered her office with a collection of papers in her hand and dropped all of them when she saw Spike. "Spike! What are you doing? If you were waiting for me you'll have to wait a little longer. I have to-" Spike lightened, he was fading away. "Are you okay?" Spike began to walk away, as though he were unaware of her. She followed him into the lab and then out into the hall. "Spike wait! I think something is happening to you!"

She saw him go through a wall. She opened the door to the room he had entered in time to see him go through another wall. While attempting to follow him she tripped on a waste basket, spilling the contents all over the floor. She sighed as she began to pick them up. "Can I help you with something?" A man asked as he entered the office

She picked up a glass container, briefly looked at it, and then put it back in the wastebasket. "I was just following a ghost. Is this your office?" She asked as she stood up

"Yes," He eyed her curiously "I'm Dr. Royce."

"Fred Burkle," She explained

"Oh right, head of the science department." He stuck out his hand.

She smiled. "Yes," She pulled a taser from her pocket and shocked him before he realized what she was doing. He collapsed to the ground and she picked up the phone. "I need security immediately. Also have Angel and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce meet me in this room."

…

Wesley examined the vial. "You were right. This is Calendula extract."

"What's that mean?" Angel asked

"It protects against psychic screening." Wesley explained

Fred began rifling through the doctor's desk. "He knew we would have Lorne read everyone who could have leaked Nina's identity. He alerted whoever took her."

"Why?" Angel asked

"There could be any number of reasons." Wesley said

Fred picked up a piece of paper from the pile on the desk where they had dumped out the contents of the drawers. Her hands began to shake. "I know why they took that innocent girl."

Angel took the paper. "What is it?" Wesley asked

"A menu," Angel answered

…

Angel, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred approached the grand manor house with Angel pushing Dr. Royce in front of them. "Just get us in." Angel said "And no funny business. If you try to tip off the people inside you'll regret it." They came to the front door and Royce knocked.

Angel and his friends stood out of view while a man inside opened a panel to see Dr. Royce. The man opened the door and Gunn socked him in the jaw. "I'm loving the new legal gig and all, but it still feels great to disperse some righteous violence." Gunn said

Angel strode into the room. Wesley had a handgun pointed at Royce's back. Gunn and Fred were both carry shotguns. The party guests gasped as they turned to look at Angel and his friends. A sophisticated man with cold eyes approached. "Can I help you with something?"

"We're here for the girl." Angel said

"We know she's not dead." Wesley said "A dead werewolf reverts to its human form."

"And you sickos want to eat her while she's a wolf." Fred said

Angel saw the girl on a table in the middle of the room. He could see her better now than the night he had rescued her. She was pretty, petite, and blond. She looked a little bit like Buffy and Angel felt a surge of anger. "I'm going to put you freaks out of business." Angel said

Armed men snuck up on them and pointed their guns at Angel and his friends. "I don't think you will." The host of the party said "I know those bullets won't hurt you, but what about your human friends? Is that girl worth their lives vampire?" The host smirked.

Gunn turned around to clock one of the armed men with his shotgun while Angel grabbed a man who had a gun pointed at Fred and punched him hard enough to crack ribs. Angel felt a bullet enter his body, but was unconcerned about it. Fred ran over to the girl to untie her. Angel heard another gunshot and saw Wesley hit the ground, a red stain spreading over his shirt.

…

The sounds of the fight were distant as Fred untied the girl. "Are you Nina Ash?"

"Go, go away." The girl begged, tears staining her face

"You don't understand. I'm here to rescue you."

"You can't. They told me what I am now. They told me what that monster that attacked me turned me into. If they don't kill me I'll become like it and hurt more people."

"No, we can help you." Fred pulled out a small laser and began to cut off the metal cuffs.

"Nobody can help me." Nina's voice was thick with pain and resignation.

"We can. Just give us a chance to."

Nina opened her mouth to reply, but instead she screamed. She sat up, now free from the chains that bound her to the table, and she clutched her stomach. "I can feel it. Just kill me before it happens. I don't want to be a monster." Nina screamed again, now she clutched her head.

Fred pulled out a needle filled with heavy sedatives. "Listen to me. The people who wanted to eat you, they are the monsters. You're an innocent woman. I'm not going to kill you."

Nina opened her mouth to protest, but she didn't get a chance. Fred jabbed her with the needle and in a few seconds Nina was collapsed on the table. Fred turned around. The fight was over and they needed to get Nina out of here. Fred's eyes widened when she saw Angel and Gunn knelt down in front of Wesley. His shirt was covered with blood. "Wesley!" She ran over.

…

Angel knelt down in front of his friend and grabbed his shoulders to steady him. "Wes!"

"I'm okay." Wesley reached under his shirt and pressed against his shoulder. "I'm-"

"Wes?" Angel asked as Gunn came over and also knelt down

"What happened?" Gunn asked

Fred shouted Wesley's name and ran over. "Oh my God!" She said

"No really, I'm okay." Wesley got to his feet with no assistance.

"Man you are covered in blood." Gunn said "You need a hospital."

"No I-" Wesley pulled his shirt to the side to reveal a bloody shoulder. He wiped away some of the blood to reveal an unwounded shoulder. "I think the bullet just grazed me."

"No way," Fred said "That's too much blood for just a flesh wound."

"And you don't have any wound at all." Gunn said "You're covered in blood but you're not even scratched. How does that work exactly?"

Angel felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. Wesley had been shot, Angel had seen him go down and the blood spread through his shirt. Somehow that wound had healed itself in a matter of seconds and although Angel wanted to be happy about that he couldn't be. He knew this meant something and probably not something good. "Guys we have to get Nina and go."

…

Angel stood in the lab with his arms crossed feeling extremely agitated. Gunn and Lorne were there as well watching Fred examine Wesley's shoulder. Angel heard footsteps on the staircase and then saw Lilah enter the lab. He was torn between agitation because he didn't want her here and relief because she might have answers for him. "I heard book man got shot."

"Your concern is touching." Lorne said sarcastically

"I'm fine." Wesley said

"I can't find a bullet wound." Fred said "This is impossible."

"Maybe it was a magic bullet." Gunn said

"Enchanted bullets tend to be more deadly." Wesley said "Not less,"

"So what happened then?" Lorne asked

"Well let's try to focus on what's important." Angel said "Are you okay?" He asked Wes

"I'm fine." Wesley said "Really, I don't feel injured at all."

"Well I'm going to X-ray you." Fred said "And maybe run an MRI. Don't even think about arguing with me. I'm going to make _sure_ you're okay whether you like it or not."

"I'd listen to the woman." Lorne said "It seems like her mind is made up."

"I'm going to go check on Nina." Angel said "Call me if you figure anything out."

"She's still in werewolf form." Gunn said

"I know. I want to make sure the cage is holding up." Angel explained "Lilah,"

"Coming boss," Gun and Lorne stayed in the lab while Lilah followed Angel.

When they were out of earshot Angel began questioning her. "Is this because of Illyria?"

"Yes," Lilah said

"I thought he was back to the way he was before. I thought Willow's-"

"It's not that simple Angel. That connection will always exist. So long as he lives so does she in one form or another. His death eradicates her. His life tethers her. Her power is in him."

"Keeping him alive," Angel said

"As well as it can. The power won't heal any wound, but it will heal most."

"So the bullet went through him and Illyria's power fixed the damage?"

"Yes," Lilah said "He would have died otherwise."

Angel came to a stop. "How can you be sure?"

"The bullet went through his heart." Lilah said "It severed an artery. He would have been dead in less than a minute if not for his magic blood. But fear not, Fred's machines won't be able to detect what's in his blood. Your friends aren't going to find out what you did."

"Good," Angel said "Thank you,"

"I live to serve." Lilah said

"I just have one more question."

"I know." Lilah said "But you don't want to know the answer."

"No I don't, but I have to ask."

"Yes, she can use him to come back. She will be able to use him until the day he dies."

…

Gunn had gone to fill out some paperwork and Lorne had left to deal with a client who had called with some sort of crisis. Wesley and Fred were alone in the lab. He was sitting on the steel table with no shirt on while she examined the MRI and the X-ray. "This is so odd."

"Can I put a shirt on?" Wesley asked

She looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "No,"

He returned her grin. "I'm fine Fred. I don't know why I'm fine, but I am."

"What if it was some kind of magic delayed reaction bullet that will kill you in twenty-four hours or something? If I missed something and you died-"

He grabbed her hand. "Hey," He locked eyes with her. "I'm fine." He said softly

"Maybe I worry too much." She leaned forward to kiss him. "But only because I care."

He brushed her hair behind her ear. "It's sweet." He said "But I'm all right."

"Well that's what these say too." She held up the X-ray and MRI and then set them down on the table. "So I guess I can stop panicking. When I saw that blood all over you-"

He stopped her lips with another kiss. "Don't think about that."

"I don't want to." She said "But I can't help it. I love you."

"I love you too." He said "Now can I put a shirt on?"

She sighed. "Fine,"

Wesley grinned at her again and pulled a shirt over his head. "Try to think about the good parts of this day. We saved the girl. With our help she may be able to have a semi-normal life."

"Poor Nina," Fred said "She wanted to die."

"Why?" Wesley asked

"She thinks she's a monster."

"I can understand that." Wesley said

"What?" Fred sounded horrified

"I just mean I understand her thought process. That doesn't mean I agree."

"She didn't choose to get bit." Fred said

"The realization that one has darkness within them can be a damning one." Wesley said

Fred eyed him. "Why are you talking like you're speaking from experience?"

"I am."

"I don't understand." Fred said

"I once hurt someone I love."

"Are you talking about Billy? Please tell me you haven't been dwelling on what Gunn said at the picnic all this time. He didn't mean it. He got carried away."

"This has nothing to do with Gunn." Wesley said "It's actually more to do with Lilah."

"Lilah?"

"She said some things to me." Wesley said "About you and how I feel about you. I do sometimes worry about the monster in me, and what it could do to you. It scares me."

Fred sat down on the steal table next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a good man. And don't listen to anything Lilah says."

"She is hardly reliable." Wesley admitted

"There isn't a monster in you Wesley. What Billy did to you came from him."

"I want to agree with you, but I know that's not true. I-"

Fred cut him off with a kiss. "Just stop." She sounded upset.

"I'm sorry."

"Let's just go home. Today was rough. Let's go home and get some sleep." Fred said

"Sure, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I have to get some papers. I'll meet you at the car."

"I'll wait for you." He offered

"It's fine. I'll meet you at the car."

"Okay," He kissed her and then left the lab.

Fred walked up to her office and pulled a piece of paper out of her desk drawer. It was a blood test dated yesterday. She stared at the results. She kept thinking she was wrong, that she was misreading the results. She wanted to look at the report and see different numbers, ones that didn't tell her that she was pregnant. But the numbers didn't lie. She put the paper away and left.

…

Angel watched the sunny day through the mystical glass that formed the windshield of one of his many fancy new cars. Nina was in the passenger seat. "So you know what days to come in?" Angel asked "All you have to remember is the day preceding the full moon."

Nina nodded. She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you for saving me, twice."

"No problem, it's what I do." Angel said

"How do I tell her what I am? I can't." Nina sounded despaired.

"Let me tell you something." Angel said

"Go ahead,"

"I'm a vampire."

"That's not funny." She said in a scalding tone

"No, but it's true. I know what you're going through. As long as you keep a hold on the things that matter to you the monster can't win. It wants to consume you, but you are stronger."

"How do you know?" Nina asked

Angel watched Nina's sister and niece come outside to see why a car was parked in front of their house. "Because you have something to fight for. That's what keeps me going."

Nina leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "See you next month."

Angel watched Nina get out of the car and then walk up to her sister to embrace the older woman. He grinned as he started his car and drove away. She was going to make it.


	4. Hell Bound

Spike passed his hand through a metal instrument on a table in the lab. Fred ran a scanner over his body. "This isn't good." Fred said "Your enthalpy value is getting lower every day."

"Meaning?"

"There are several possibilities." Fred said

"So something bad then." Spike deduced

She gave him an empathetic look. "In laymen's terms you're getting colder."

"Fading away you mean," He said

"You're still here." Fred said "That's what matters." But she looked dejected.

Spike grinned at her. "Don't be so glum on my account."

"I'm not. I mean I am. I mean-"

"Is this about the bun in your oven?"

Fred dropped her scanner. "What- How- Who told-"

"Easy there mum-to-be." Spike said "No one told me. I can smell a pregnancy. It's part of the vampire super-senses package. I picked up on the hormones. About seven weeks right?"

"Approximately. Please don't tell anyone." Fred begged

"I wouldn't do that." Spike said

She bit her lip and looked away. Spike watched her, trying to figure out where she was coming from emotionally. "I just don't want him to find out from anyone but me."

"Of course," Spike said "Are you okay?"

She looked at him and gave him a very unconvincing smile. The effort she put into assuring him that she was okay tugged at his heartstrings. "I'm fine." She lied

"I don't know anything about babies, but I hear they're a big deal."

"Especially when they're unplanned." Fred said "And you have no idea how your boyfriend is going to react to the news that you're carrying his child."

"Well I have no fondness for Percy, but even a blind man could see that he loves you. I'm sure he'll do right by you. If he doesn't when you recorporealize me I'll kick his ass."

Fred sighed. "That's not what I-" A scientific pondering distracted her. "Speaking of the senses how can you still smell? You don't have a body. Of course you don't have a brain either and without one of those your sensory organs which you don't have are unable to send electrical signals to it for interpretation. But scent specifically is troublesome because-" Spike was staring at her, trying to follow what she was saying. "I guess it's just magic." She said

"Yeah, and not nearly as interesting as your circumstances."

She made a face. "Please don't say circumstances. It's almost as bad as 'in a family way' in terms of making me sound like an old timey sort-sighted teen. I'm none of those things."

"Definitely not," Spike agreed

"I was on the pill." She said "I don't know what happened."

"Well-" Spike vanished.

Fred looked around. "Spike," She walked behind machines and tables, looking for the blond ghost. "Spike!" He was gone. "Oh crap." She ran into her office.

…

Angel stared at the pile of papers in front of him. He rubbed his forehead. "Ugh,"

"Is there something I can help you with boss?" Lilah asked from where she was sitting in front of his desk "Don't forget that I was a member of the bar association before my demise."

Angel sighed. There was a time when he would have kicked her out of his office, now he had gotten used to her always being around. "I'm just readings these reports Gunn sent over."

"Do you want me to take a look?" She said in a patronizing voice

He grunted in annoyance as he looked up at her. "Go ahead." He tossed the file at her and she caught it with her deft hands. "I could just call Gunn and ask for a summery."

"That would involve swallowing your pride, which you are incapable of."

Angel glared at her. He was glad when his phone rang, sparing him from having to come up with a good response. "Angel here," Lilah flipped through the file. "Fred, Fred, calm down."

…

Angel, Wesley, and Lilah stood in the lab watching the frazzled Fred run around and try to explain what had happened. "He just- whoosh- vanished! We have to find out where he went!"

"You said he thought he was getting sucked into hell?" Angel asked

"Yes. He could feel his bond to this dimension weakening!" Fred shouted

"So that's probably where he went." Angel said nonchalantly

"No need to sound all tore up about it." A shaky voice said behind Angel

"Spike!" Fred ran over to him. "Where did you go?"

"I…" The four other occupants of the lab stared at the ghost.

After a while Lilah prompted him. "You…"

"I was there." He stared into the distance. "I was in hell."

"For how long?" Wesley asked

"I don't… Less than thirty minutes, but it felt like longer."

"You weren't in hell." Angel said "You can't have been. A person doesn't just pop in and out of hell. Once you're there you're there for good. No one just comes back from hell."

"You did." Wesley said

"That was a special case." Angel replied

"Well Spike is a special case." Fred said "My readings show that whatever he is, he isn't a normal ghost. He may not be a ghost at all. I think Spike is a soul."

The room fell into complete silence. "What?" Angel whispered

"Spike doesn't look or act like a ghost. His physical properties are completely different and his behavior is atypical for a spectral disturbance. Think of Dennis. Dennis isn't a person, he's the residue of a person whose violent death caused an imprint of himself to be stuck to this realm when he was violently ripped from it. Think of the sticky stuff that tape leaves behind when you quickly pull it away from a surface. That's Dennis. But Spike is different. Spike has a personality, the same one he had in life. He's not an imprint, he's the original. When Spike died during the collapse of the hellmouth I think his soul was trapped in the necklace!" Fred had become more and more excited throughout the course of her theorizing. "It's unprecedented."

"Incredible," Wesley muttered "The power that necklace would have to contain..."

"If Fred is right the necklace is dangerous." Angel said

"Quite so," Wesley said

"Hold on." Spike said "I'm a soul. I'm just a soul? No body or any else?"

"No," Wesley said "When you first got here you extended your fangs at Angel."

"So the demon is there as well." Angel said

"They must be fused together somehow." Fred said

"Huh," Lilah said

"What?" Angel asked "What do you know?"

"This was unintended." Lilah said "But it's very interesting."

Angel stared at Lilah. "Wes do you still have that necklace?" He asked

"I'll go get it." Wesley left.

"What do you know?" Angel asked Lilah

"I know many things." Lilah said

"Hey do you still torture people?" Spike asked Angel

"I don't feel pain." Lilah said

"It's true." Fred said in a disappointed tone

"I thought your job was to keep me happy." Angel said

"No, my job is to help you do your job."

"That necklace was meant for me." Angel said "The senior partners wanted it to do to me what it did to Spike. So why did they offer me Wolfram & Hart?" Angel glared at Lilah.

"This necklace took Spike's soul Angel." Fred said "That's the purpose of the thing."

"What they didn't anticipate was it getting the demon in me." Spike said

"They wanted Angelus." Angel said softly "They wanted me stored in fancy jewelry while Angelus was set loose on the world. No one would have known what was happening."

"You would have slaughtered us all." Wesley said as he came back into the room

Fred stared at the necklace in Wesley's hand. "We have to destroy it."

"It can't be destroyed." Lilah said

"Right, and you wouldn't lie about that." Fred said in a snarky tone

"That necklace is the only thing keeping me in this world!" Spike protested

Wesley held up the necklace and stared at the gem. "This jewelry has done something that has never been done before. Understanding it could unlock so many mysteries."

"That's what you're all about isn't it?" Lilah asked "The mystery,"

"This is a trap." Angel said "The senior partners never meant for me to run this branch."

"They did. They do." Lilah said "They just wanted you to kill most of your friends first."

"That's much better." Fred said in an acidic voice

"That plan didn't work out. The senior partners are kind of glad it didn't." Lilah said

"You've been playing me from day one." Angel said "This is all one big ploy."

"But haven't you known that from the beginning?" Lilah asked "You accepted that when you took this deal. Why is it any different now that you know part of the plan?"

Angel gazed at her with utter contempt. "You were going to rip out my soul!"

"Yeah," Lilah said "We were. But we were going to put you back."

"After all of my friends were dead?" Angel asked

"Yep," She smirked at him. "The senior partners almost got you when they turned Darla and you couldn't do anything about it. This would have been even more effective."

"You're sick." Fred said softly "You-" She put her hands over her mouth and then fell to her knees. She retched on the cold tile floor. She held her throat and coughed.

Wesley ran over to her. "Fred!" He put his hand on her back. "Are you okay?"

She grabbed his hand. "It think I have food poisoning." She mumbled

Wesley helped her to her feet. "You need to sit down."

"No. I'm okay. I have to work the problem. I have to figure out what to do about Spike."

"Don't fuss about me pet." Spike said "Not when you're- sick."

"I'm _fine_." She pulled away from Wesley. "We have to find a way to anchor Spike to this plane so we can destroy the necklace without hurting him. That thing is dangerous."

"And indestructible," Lilah said

"Nothing is indestructible." Fred said

Wesley looked at Spike, puzzled by something. "Angel's right. You can't have been in hell, not while this necklace is holding you here. So where were you?"

Spike looked at the ground. "It was terrible. There were demons."

"What kind of demons?" Wesley asked

Spike stared into the former watcher's eyes. "Mine,"

…

Harmony watched the important people converge in the conference room. She sighed as she fiddled with her ceramic unicorn. Sometimes her job was really boring. There was nothing to do but watch the important people go about their work. Lorne walked by. She brightened. He was far nicer to her than most of them. "Hey Lorney tunes!" She called in a cheerful voice

He smiled at her. "How's my Harm-onica.?" He asked

"Great," She said "What's going on?"

"I'm not quite sure. It has something to do with Spike."

Harmony rolled her eyes. "Of course it does. He always has to be the center of attention."

Lorne gave her a look of understanding. "Well I'll let you know what happens."

She waved her hand. "Don't bother. I am so through with him. Spike who?"

Lorne chuckled. "See you later." He headed into the conference room.

Harmony watched Lorne enter the room and then Angel close the doors. The curiosity was going to drive her mad. She hoped Lorne knew she was lying about not caring.

…

Gunn stared at Angel. Occasionally he glanced over at Lilah's smug expression, but mostly he just focused on Angel. Gunn was having trouble processing what he was hearing from the vampire with a soul. "The senior partners were trying to release Angelus?" Gunn asked

"They are trying to do a lot of things." Lilah said "We have many plans in the works."

"So what's to stop the senior partners from trying to kill us again?" Fred asked

"Well for one thing, Gunn. When he spoke to the conduit it saw something interesting."

"What did it see?" Lorne asked

"Ask Gunn." Lilah said

Everyone was now staring at Gunn. "It saw me. It saw my future."

"Which would be?" Lorne asked

"This." Gunn said "They saw my potential for this. I'm really good at it. I know all the law knowledge is from them, but I have a natural talent for litigation."

"If he hadn't grown up a poor street kid he might have gone to Harvard." Lilah said

"Gunn," Fred said "They're going to try and use you. The want you to compromise your morals. You're only good to them if they can use you to further their own ends."

"We've known all of this from day one." Gunn said

"I was just telling them that earlier." Lilah said

Gunn flinched. He didn't like the comparison. "What you just told us is horrible, but I don't see how this changes anything. We knew we would have to watch our backs here."

"Gunn they tried to kill us." Fred said "Why aren't you upset?"

"Because I'm not surprised." He said

"The way they tried to kill us is particularly sadistic." Wesley said

"True," Lilah looked amused by the prospect. "Angelus would have used techniques he perfected during his bloody reign of terror to destroy you all in the most dehumanizing ways possible before ending your life in the way you most fear. He would have used all of your secrets against you, the ones you let Angel know because you trust him. What a horrible way to die,"

Angel stared at Lilah's grinning face. He had gotten used to her; he had even started to rely on her in some respects. That ended now. He knew now for good and all that Lilah would always be his enemy. "Lilah, either give us some useful information, or leave."

Lilah shrugged. She headed for the door. "Later gang,"

They watched her walk down the hall, waiting for her to get out of earshot. "I think I'm going to be sick again." Fred said; she was very pale "I knew she was evil, but this is…"

"I'd almost forgotten." Gunn confessed "She was being so helpful."

"A trick," Angel said "One I should have seen through."

"Can we fire her?" Lorne asked

Angel shook his head. "She reports directly to the senior partners."

For a moment they were all silent. "Maybe we should go." Fred said

"Go like leave?" Gunn asked

"We'll never be safe here." Fred said

"We can't go." Angel said quietly

Everyone stared at him. "Care to share why Angel-cakes?" Lorne asked nervously

"I looked back over our contracts after my upgrade." Gunn said "There is nothing in there that says we can't quit. Not in ours anyways, I couldn't find Angel's. His contract is in the restricted section of files and records. I don't want to quit, but we definitely can."

"I lied to all of you." Angel confessed

"About what?" Fred asked, sounding hurt

"I'm not going to tell you." Angel said

Wesley stared at Angel, thinking. "What did you do?"

"I made a deal. It's what they do here."

"What did you give them?" Fred asked

"Nothing," Angel said "I got the best part of the deal, which is why I can't give it up."

"What did you get?" Gunn asked

"Look," Angel said "I lied to all of you. I'm sorry. But I believe I did the right thing and I stand by my decision. If you want to go I understand, but I can't tell you the truth."

They were all incredulous. Before anyone could think of a reply, which might have taken quite a while, something buzzed in Fred's pocket. She pulled a tablet out of her lab coat and stared at the screen. "Something is going on with Spike." She said "We need to check on him."

…

Spike stood in a glass cylinder. He knew the device was collecting data and compiling it for Fred to interpret. He tried to view this as a hopeful fact, but he didn't think that he was going to make it long enough for Fred to help him. He felt the tug. He tried to stay in the glass tube, but it was becoming harder to see. He couldn't orient himself. He couldn't stand.

Spike went through the floor. His vision cleared and he saw that he was in the basement, or a basement at least. "Hello!" He called out "I seem to have lost my way! Where's-" Spike had been looking around and as he turned to inspect the area behind him he saw Fred and then yelped in shock. It wasn't Fred. It couldn't be. This woman was nine months pregnant. "Fred?"

"Hello William," She smiled at him.

"What are you then? Some kind of hallucination or what not?"

She giggled and her smile grew wider. "Do you want to see the future?"

"I want to know who brought me here, and why." Fred ignored him. She pressed her hands against her stomach and when she removed them her shirt had two bloody handprints over her stomach and her hands were stained with blood. Spike backed up, horrified.

"I can see the future William." Fake Fred said

A voice spoke from behind Spike. "Just like me."

He turned around to see a lovely woman with dark hair. "Dru?"

She held out her arms. "There's my boy."

"You're not real." Spike insisted

"She's the future." Fake Fred said "Return to the world Spike, and a wretched future awaits the ones you love. But stay here in the dark with us, and it won't be so bad."

Spike looked back at the heavily pregnant woman. "Leave me alone."

Dru made a mournful sound. "He is coming for you pet. He is coming for his lost child."

…

Angel stared into the empty glass cylinder. "Maybe he just left."

"He wouldn't do that." Fred said "He was scared."

"Maybe something was down here." Wesley said "Maybe we have another ghost."

"Why do you say that?" Gunn asked

"If Spike isn't slipping into hell, than something is causing these sensations that he has been feeling and causing him to disappear at random, or not so random, intervals." Wes said

"When we went up against Hainsley he had the power to summon Spike." Angel said

"Do you think we might be dealing with another necromancer?" Gunn asked

"I really hope not." Angel said

"Why are you thinking ghost?" Fred asked Wesley

"Because Spike behaves as though he's being haunted." Wesley said

"A ghost haunting a ghost," Angel said "Poetic,"

"But he's not a ghost." Fred said "He's something else. And he's in trouble."

"Well how are we supposed to help him if we don't even know where he is?" Gunn asked

"I think I can help with that." Lorne said

…

Fred and Wesley were alone in the lab. Lorne had left to chase down his lead. Angel and Gunn had gone to discuss something. Fred was pouring over data. She was analyzing the recordings of the last seconds before Spike disappeared. "Are you sure you're okay?" Wes asked

She looked at him and gave him an unconvincing smile. "I'm just worried about Spike."

"I can see that."

She gave him an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just wondering why he matters so much to you."

"He needs our help. Isn't helping people what we do here?" She asked

"I just don't want you to be disappointed if we can't save him. We can't save everyone."

"I know." Fred let the words hang there. She didn't need to elaborate.

"I know the two of you have become close."

"Well I've been spending a lot of time with him attempting to figure out what he is. I've gotten to know him. He's a good person Wesley and we need to save him from whatever this is."

"Sure," Wesley said agreeably

"Don't do that." She said

"Do what?"

"Try to appease me." Fred said "It's grating."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. I do worry about you though."

"Why? Because I'm a frail little girl who can't take care of herself?"

Wesley was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

She felt a boiling rage come from nowhere. "Oh Fred I'm scared that I'll hurt you because I'm so tough and manly while you're so frail and weak. I have to protect Fred from the harsh realities of the world because she's too innocent to get by on her own. Poor Fred-" She cut herself off when she saw the deep hurt in his expression. She felt her anger bleed away. "Wes-"

He didn't let her finish. "I'll leave you to your work." He walked away.

She watched him leave and wanted to ask him to wait, but after that spiel she couldn't blame him for wanting to go. She turned back to her papers. She had work to do anyway.

…

Angel, Gunn, Wesley, and Fred entered the conference room where Lorne was waiting with a strange woman. "This is Claire." Lorne said "She's a medium."

Fred extended her hand to the woman. "Nice to meet you."

Claire brushed Fred's hand aside. "Let's get started. I have things to do." Lorne mouthed 'sorry' from where he was sitting behind Claire. "I saw that." She said

Lorne chuckled nervously. "Claire is going to help us find Spike."

Gunn eyed the attractive woman. "How exactly are you going to do that?"

"Take a seat chocolate thunder and I'll show you." Fred rolled her eyes while Gunn sat down with a big grin on his face. She took a seat next to the medium and Wesley sat down next to her. She was glad he wasn't avoiding her. "If your ghost is here," Claire said "I'll find him."

"Any spirit you find should be Spike's." Wesley said "I did a mystical sweep of the building and uncovered no spectral activity. Which is odd by the way."

"Shhhh," The medium said "People are talking. Why are people talking?"

Wesley and Fred shared a look. The medium closed her eyes and hovered her hands over the table. She began to hum. After a moment she whispered. "I see him, the dark soul."

"Spike?" Angel asked

"He is watching the bleeding woman." The medium whispered

"What bleeding woman?" Gunn asked

The medium ignored all of them. "The dark soul sees all. He sees past, present, future."

"That can't be Spike." Angel said

"He is putting on a show. The dead woman's secret is revealed."

"Who's the-" Fred started to say

Fred was cut off when the medium's eyes snapped open. She raised a hand and pointed at Fred, her eyes blank. "One lived, and yet now two are dead. For her blood nourished both." Fred got to her feet, accidentally knocking her chair over. "He sees!" The medium screamed "He is the dark soul! He is the-" She gripped her neck. Now she was choking. She slammed her hand on the table as she tried to breathe. Angel stood up and grabbed the woman. He began to shake her.

The medium coughed up a stream of blood that hit Fred right in the face. Fred fell to the ground and screamed. Wesley knelt down next to her and grabbed her shoulder. "Fred?"

The medium collapsed to the ground, dead. Lorne and Gunn ran over to the scene and just stood there, both unsure what to do. Angel looked around the room as though he were expecting the culprit to reveal itself. "Is Fred all right?" He asked Wesley with deep concern

Wesley pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and tried to wipe some of the blood off of her face but she pushed him away. "I don't want to die." She whispered as she got to her feet

"What did that stuff the medium said mean?" Gunn asked

"She said two people are dead." Lorne said "Spike's dead, is she the second person?"

Fred shook her head. "No,"

"Fred?" Wesley sounded deeply troubled.

"I have to- I have to go-" Fred touched her face and then removed her hand to stare at the medium's blood. She began to cry. "No, no, no-" She looked at something the others couldn't see and screamed. "I see him!" She pointed and the others turned to look, but they saw nothing.

Wesley grabbed her shoulders and stared into her frightened eyes. "What do you see?"

"I don't know his name. He was here long before us. He was here before this place."

"What does he look like?" Wesley asked

Fred began to cry harder. "They cut him up into little pieces just like he did to the people that came to him. He promised to fix their ills, but he used them for his dark arts. He is profane and they used him to defile the sacred. Holy ground has been deconsecrated. We have to leave!"

"She's hysterical." Angel said "We need to get her out of here."

"No!" Fred's mind seemed to clear. "He's just showing me things to frighten me."

"Well I'm frightened." Gunn said "And I'm only getting the cliff notes."

"I see what happened." Fred said "The senior partners wanted to build the L.A. branch on this land but a monastery was already here. They deconsecrated the ground with his blood."

"Whose?" Angel asked

"The R-" Fred grabbed her throat. She made a squealing sound.

Wesley tightened his hold on her. "Fred!"

"We have to do something!" Angel said

"I have an idea." Gunn ran out of the room.

…

Spike sat in the corner of the basement with his knees pulled to his chest. He shut his eyes tight and hummed to dispel the sound of her voice. The blond slayer got to her knees and put her warm hands on his unreal skin. "William, my William. You're my special boy."

"That's Dru who said that, not you, never you."

"My William is tired isn't he? Doesn't he want to go home?"

"No," Spike said "I know where you want to send me."

"It's where you belong." Buffy said "You and Angel both. Don't worry, he'll get his when the time comes. But it's your time now. Let's go my special boy. Now's the time."

Spike began to cry. "No,"

"Do you think you can escape? How Spike? She won't save you."

"She will." Spike said "She said she would."

"Oh my dear Spike. She's can't even save herself."

…

Fred felt her vision begin to fade. The only thing keeping her on her feet was Wesley's grip on her. She clutched at the force squeezing her throat, but there was nothing there. She tried to call out for help, but she hadn't the breath for speech. As her sight continued to darken she saw Gunn burst into the room with Lilah. Gunn held up a cross, causing Angel to back quickly away from the lawyers. Gunn read from a book in Latin and Fred gasped. She let go of her throat and stared at Wesley holding her. She took in several pained breaths. She threw her arms around Wesley and rested her head on his shoulder. "What was that?" Angel demanded

"I thought Lilah might have some info on this dark soul thing." Gunn said

"His name is Matthias Pavayne." Lilah said "He was a serial killer as well as a sorcerer before Wolfram & Hart used him as a sacrifice to deconsecrate the ground this building was erected upon. He used his knowledge of the dark arts to forestall his journey to hell. He sacrifices the souls of people who die here in his place. Now he's after Spike's. Pavayne was never this overt before, but then again we never tried to stop him from getting a soul he wanted before."

Fred let go of Wesley and backed up. "He made a big mistake." She said

Lilah raised an eyebrow. "Yeah sugar queen? Was it mussing up your outfit?"

"He tried to scare me, but he showed me what I needed to know." Fred said

"What's that?" Lilah asked

"I can stop Pavayne and recorporealize Spike." Fred told Lilah "But I need your help."

Lilah locked eyes with Fred. "Gee honey, I already saved your life when I told Gunn how to temporarily ward off Pavayne. Where's my gratitude? I could have let you die."

"We're even." Fred said "For you trying to kill us. If you help me I'll owe you one."

The two women continued to stare at one another. Finally Lilah shrugged. "Sure,"

…

Wesley handed Fred the rare mystical artifact. She had taken a minute to wash the blood off of her face, but her shirt still had splatters of blood on it and her eyes were still red from when she had been crying earlier. He touched her arm and she jumped. "Sorry," He whispered

Fred wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, perhaps many things. She didn't care, she grasped his hands and kissed him. "I've seen terrible things." She said "But what he showed me terrified me. He tortured people for pleasure. He understands pain like no one else can."

Wesley reached forward and touched her face. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Don't say that." She said "I'm not going anywhere. Soon this will all be over. Once I finish this machine I'll be able to use the mystical energy from the artifacts you procured to send a wave of energy through the building, recorporealizing any spirits. That will save Spike and take away some of Pavayne's power. We'll be able to hurt him once he's alive." She explained

"And all of this depends on Lilah." Wesley said "I'm nervous about that."

"I need to know where the mystic center of this building is to calibrate the machine. The senior partners built here because the property is over a confluence of psychic pathways."

"All of that energy could disrupt the effect of your machine." Wesley said

"Or amplify it, depending on my ability to set the wave of my machine's energy output in phase with the network of energy flowing under this building." Fred explained

"This could really work." Wesley marveled "No one has ever done anything like this before now. You're rewriting the laws of nature." Wesley considered this. "Life from death."

"Yeah," Fred said "If it works."

…

Spike watched his mother approach. He couldn't move at all. "No," He moaned

"Now William, be a good boy and take your medicine." His mother admonished

"You're not her."

"But she's waiting for you there William. How many men did your mother know? It was enough to damn her, I assure you. As if you weren't punishment enough for any mother."

"My mother loved me." Spike whimpered

The phantom that took his mother's form pulled out a knitting needle. "You think you can't be hurt. But I have learned to control reality William. You can be cut, you can bleed."

The second clause of her lest sentence was unlike the rest of her statement. Her voice became a man's. "Who are you?" Spike asked "Why are you torturing me?"

"You must go willingly into the fire William." The man's voice still came from his mother's image. Her kind face was not meant to speak such wickedness.

"I won't." In that moment a wave of energy hit Spike. He blinked and saw standing in front of him not his mother, but a man dressed like Jack the Ripper. "You," Spike got to his feet.

The man looked around. "What is this? My will becomes reality. My power-"

Spike punched the man. "Is gone. Mine is back. We were talking about hell I believe."

A silky smooth voice interrupted him. "Don't kill him." Lilah said "He'll have all his powers back if you do. Fred's machine made you both corporeal." Lilah stood in front of the stairs Spike hadn't noticed before and waved at the newly corporeal vampire.

Spike smiled at Lilah. "She did it then? She saved me."

"Well I helped." Lilah said

…

Lilah stood with Angel in front of the metal cell the size of a closet. "Permanent stasis,"

Angel examined Pavayne's paralyzed body. "Neither living nor dead." Angel whispered

"He's aware." Lilah said "But immobile,"

"I've been to hell." Angel said "This is worse."

"Are you having second thoughts boss?" Lilah asked

"He tried to kill Fred." Angel said as he slammed the door shut "He can rot."

"She owes me one now." Lilah said

"What?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten. She told me that if I got the information from the senior partners on the mystical currents under the building she'd owe me one. How should I use that?"

"Just so you know," Angel said "If you hurt Fred I'll end you."

"I'm already dead. Why does everyone keep forgetting that?" Lilah said in exasperation

"I didn't forget, I just don't care." Angel said

"I suppose you also haven't forgotten that I saved her life. She's the one who killed me."

"That was an accident that she doesn't remember." Angel said

"I remember." Lilah said softly

Angel was silent for a moment. "Thank you for saving her."

"Sure thing boss,"

"Let's get out of here. This place creeps me out."

…

Fred turned off the stream of hot water and stood for a moment in the steam. She exhaled a shaky breath while she wrapped herself in a towel. When she left the bathroom her hair was still wet and Spike was leaning against the wall, staring at nothing. "Spike," Fred sounded happy.

Spike grinned. Her warm voice dispelled some of the lingering pain he felt. "You saved me love. I was so close to letting him have me. You pulled me out of the fire."

Fred smiled. She opened her mouth to say something encouraging. What came out was not what she intended. "Do you think he really could see the future?" She asked

Spike considered the question. "I reckon he wouldn't have taken you on if he could."

"He said my baby and I were going to die." Fred said softly

"He said the same to me." Spike said "But I don't believe it." For a little while neither of them spoke. "Have you told him yet? Percy that is. Have you told him he's about to be a daddy?"

"I think there has been enough drama for one day." Fred said "I can tell him later."

Spike turned his head and took her in with his eyes. On an impulse he left his wall and hugged her. "Thank you Fred. I'll never forget what you did for me."

She hugged him back. "Any time," He nodded and started to walk away. "What are you going to do?" She called after him "Now that you can leave are you going to go find Buffy?"

"I haven't decided." He said "But when I do you'll be the first to know." He smiled at her and she returned his smile. She also gave him a little wave as he continued on his way.

Fred started for Wesley's office. On the way there she saw Lilah coming from the basement where she and Angel had put Pavayne. Angel must have gone a different route because Lilah was alone. The two women stood still and stared at each other. "Have you ever heard of a blow dryer?" Lilah asked "It's this cool new invention that lets you avoid shower hair."

Fred chuckled. "You're still a bitch Lilah, an evil bitch to be exact, but thanks."

"I didn't do it for thanks remember? You owe me one." Lilah said

"You could have let me die." Fred said "I think you might not be as bad as you think."

Lilah laughed. "Honey I have no interest in redemption, just don't forget our deal."

"I won't." Fred said

"Then we have nothing more to talk about." Lilah walked away.

Fred sighed and then continued to Wesley's office. He was sitting at his desk reading when she entered. "Sometimes I wonder if you're not actually always reading and you just pick up a book when you hear footsteps in the hall to keep up the image." She teased

He looked up and smiled at her. "You got me."

"Sorry I couldn't wait until we got home to shower."

"Don't apologize." He said

"I'm also sorry about what I said earlier. That was my warm-up apology." She explained

Wesley got up and went over to her. "It's fine."

"It's not fine. I've been weird lately."

"What's going on?" He asked "Is it something I can help you with."

Fred smiled. "You can help actually."

"What is it? Ask me for anything."

Fred knew a lot of guys said stuff like that, but she believed the words when they came from him. She put her arms around him. "I want you to take me home, pour me a bottle of wine, and then tell me all about some random topic completely unrelated to dead serial killers."

He kissed her brow. "I can do that. But first I just want you to know how amazing you were today. Pavayne almost killed you, and you just kept working the problem. That was the bravest thing I've ever seen." She leaned into him and listened to his heartbeat. "I mean it."

"Thank you Wesley." She thought about telling him now. She reasoned that if she was really so brave this shouldn't be that hard. But it was hard. "Now let's go home."


	5. Life of the Party

Spike sat on the rocks staring at the dark ocean. He heard familiar footsteps. "Hey," The scruffy homeless man said as he sat down next to the vampire with a paper bag. "Guess what I scored friend. I'm telling you that you're not gonna believe it. I got some good stuff."

"If it isn't my favorite drinking buddy." Spike said

The homeless man punched Spike's arm. "Yeah! Check it out." He pulled out two beer bottles from the paper bag. The brand wasn't good, but it wasn't the cheapest either.

"Wow, this is good stuff." Spike said to please the man

"Right?" The man sounded excited. "One of these is for you."

"Your generosity is unparalleled." Spike said

"So are you going to tell me more about the girl?"

"There's nothing more to tell." Spike said

"Oh come on man, don't say that. How can that be the end?"

Spike popped the top off his beer. "I haven't seen her since I left."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Three weeks." Spike said

"That's criminal man. Aren't you curious about the baby?"

"It's none of my business mate. She's not my girl and that's not my kid."

"But it's obvious you care about her."

"Of course I do, she saved my life. But I'm not in love with her."

"So then why are you still here man?"

Spike sighed. "I don't know."

"Hey," The man gave Spike a good-natured punch in the shoulder. "Good stuff?"

Spike raised his bottle. "The best, thanks Doyle."

…

Fred heard a knock on her office door. "Come in." She didn't look up from her papers.

"Legal sent in a request for the Herswitzch reports." Knox said

She glanced up and frowned. "Didn't we already send those?"

"They must have gotten lost." Knox shrugged "It happens."

Fred walked over to the filing cabinet and pulled out a file. "These are the original reports. Make copies, send those to legal, and then bring these right back here." Knox took the file and then just stood there, grinning. Fred sat down and was surprised to see that he was still in her office and didn't look like he intended to leave. "Is there something else?" Fred asked

"I just think it's great how well you have everything figured out now. You're great is what I mean to say. When you first got here you were overwhelmed by all the paperwork and filing; now you do it better than me. You're an inspiration." He kept grinning at her.

She smiled. "Thank you Knox. That's really sweet."

"No problem." He still didn't leave.

Fred hesitated. "What else can I help you with?"

"Oh nothing, I just like watching you work. I'll go send these to legal." He walked away.

Fred shook her head. "So odd," She muttered under her breath. The phone rang and she sighed with annoyance. She was never going to get any work done with these constant interruptions from people who couldn't do their jobs or wanted her to use science to fix all of their problems. Case in point: "No Lorne I cannot use the machine that recorporealized Spike on a dead movie star." She listened to his complaints. "No it's not just an ethical issue. It's both practical and ethical. We're not in the business on selling immortality to the rich and famous."

Someone was in her doorway. "Actually…"

A grin took over her face. "Lorne I have to go." She hung up the phone.

Wesley held up a plastic bag. "I brought lunch."

"Great, I'm starving." She said eagerly

"I don't understand how that's possible considering the copious amounts of food you consumed for breakfast this morning." He set the bag on her desk. "But here you go."

"I need nutrition." Fred said happily

He smiled out her. He didn't understand how it was that everything about her delighted him, but that was the case. "Well here's enough nutrients to feed a family of four." Fred hesitated as she took the take-out container from the bag. "What is it?" Wesley asked her, concerned

"Nothing," Fred said

"Are you sure?"

"I was just wondering something, but it's silly."

"Silly can be good." Wesley said

She smiled again, but this time her smile was weary. "I was just wondering if- forget it."

"Now I'm intrigued." Wesley said "What puzzle is occupying the mind of the beautiful and enigmatic Winifred Burkle? What mystery of the universe is she pondering?"

Her smile became more genuine. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked as he pilfered a single noodle

"How do you make me feel like this, like everything is fine and always will be?"

He grinned. "I make you feel like that?"

"Yeah, you do."

For a moment they enjoyed perfect silence. They just looked at each other, drinking in one another's faces, and neither of them needed to say a word. He broke the silence first. "What were you wondering? It's going to drive me crazy all day if you don't tell me. I shan't be able to get a thing done and it will be all your fault." She giggled. "I'm serious." He said in a tone lacking gravity "I need to know. I'll go mad with wonder. They'll have to put me in a loony bin."

"Well now I can't tell you." She said "You've built it up too much."

He sighed. "All right, I give in." He picked up a napkin. "I wave the white flag."

She laughed. "There you go again, making me feel good."

"Damn me and my impressive charms." He said

Fred leaned over the desk and kissed him.

…

"I don't understand." Angel said

Gunn and Lorne were standing in front of his desk explaining the situation to him. There was something about a party and precedent and clients. It was all going over his head. "Wolfram & Hart puts on a big shindig every year at this time. All of our clients and business associates will be here." Gunn explained "They'll see this party as a reflection of our new regime."

"Okay," Angel said "So the party has to be great."

"Oh it will be." Lorne said "I made sure of it. I am personally handling the decorating, catering, entertainment, guest list, and pretty much every tiny detail. This is going to be the soiree of the year. There's only one thing that could possibly ruin this party Angel-cakes."

"What?" Angel asked

"You," Gunn said

"Me?"

"Yes you, honey-buns." Lorne said

"Okay, whenever you start going overboard with the pastry talk I know I'm about to be put in an awkward and uncomfortable situation." Angel said "What do you want?"

"We want you to be nice." Gunn said

"I'm nice." Angel said

"To the party guests," Lorne said

"As long as none of them are demons-"

"Most of them are demons." Gunn said

"Well that's fine. So long as they aren't evil-"

"A bunch of them are evil." Lorne said

"Why are we inviting evil demons to our party?" Angel asked

"It's politics." Gunn said

"I hate politics."

"We know." Lorne said "Which is why we need you to… not be yourself."

Angel took on an affronted expression. "Ouch,"

"It's not that you aren't great." Gunn said

"_We _love you." Lorne said

"But this party has to go well." Gunn said

"Fine," Angel huffed

"Good man." Lorne clapped Angel on the back "I have to go. I have no idea how I'm going to get all of this work done before tonight." Lorne walked off.

Angel looked at Gunn. "I can be sociable."

"Definitely," Gunn said in a placating voice

"I've been to parties before."

"Yes you have." Gunn assured him the same way you talk to a man holding a bomb

Angel saw right through the act. "I'm guessing you have a lot of work to do."

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to do something."

"Brood?" Angel glared at Gunn. Gunn put his hands up. "I'm going."

…

"So," Harmony asked Wes as he walked by her desk "Are you excited for the party?"

"Should I be?"

"I heard it's going to be the event of the year." Harmony said

"In my experience most parties are the same." Wesley said "Alcohol and terrible music,"

"I like dance music." Harmony said "Plus who doesn't love liquor? With my vampire constitution I can drink as much as I want! And I don't have to worry about being roofied."

"I find that last comment very disturbing." Wesley said

Harmony shrugged. "Is it the dancing?" She said in a voice rife with pity "Are you a terrible dancer? Because that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Angel walked up. "He's atrocious."

Wesley glared at Angel. "Thanks,"

"Remember Cordelia's party?" Angel asked

"Oh God, let us never speak of that again."

Angel chuckled, but in a moment his chuckles vanished. The three of them were silently contemplating the same thing, and no one had to bring it up. "Cordelia loved parties." Harmony whispered "She used to say a good party was like fine wine, I don't remember why though."

"I do." Angel said "She said the older they got the better we thought they were."

"She was always saying things that walked the line between frivolous and profound."

Angel smiled in response to Wesley's comment. "She-" He looked away. "Harmony I need you to cancel my afternoon appointments. Lorne needs me for a special mission."

"What special mission?" Wesley asked

Angel rolled his eyes. "He needs me to make nice with the underworld's upper echelon."

Wesley snickered. "Oh, poor Angel."

"Laugh it up Mick Jagger." Angel said as he walked away

"That didn't even make sense." Wesley said "I don't dance anything like Mick Jagger."

"Well you're both English and you're both terrible dancers so-" Harmony cut herself off when he glared at her. "You're right, that doesn't make any sense. Silly vampire,"

…

Fred put her hand over her stomach. She couldn't believe it had been five weeks since she had found out someone was growing inside her and she still hadn't told anyone. She put her head down on her desk and sighed. How long would it be before Angel sniffed out her secret like Spike had? What if Harmony figured it out? If she did the vampire would blab to everyone. Fred looked up and saw Lilah standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" Fred said in a civil tone

"There was a time when that question was my bread and butter. People would come in to make deals with their immortal souls, their first born," She paused. "Anything they had of value I could get out of them. Now I only get to deal with you people, and you're a bit tougher."

Fred stared at Lilah. Had that pause been her imagination? "Really,"

"But you owe me, remember?" Lilah said

"I remember."

"I've been thinking about that. The senior partners don't think you're important. They are focused on Angel. They think Angel's friends can be used to manipulate him and they're right about that. But they don't understand how much you all have to offer on your own."

"Are you complimenting us?" Fred asked

"In a way." Lilah explained "But I want you to know I value your debt to me. I don't think you're just a silly little girl playing at hero. I think you're the genuine article."

Fred examined Lilah. "What's your angle Lilah?"

"My angle is this sugar queen, I don't want to be stuck here for the rest of my life." She considered her statement. "Un-life, but anyway that's the crux. You goody-goods are trying to save the world, but I'm on the side of whoever makes me the best offer. The senior partners took me out of hell to do this job and when it ends if I haven't earned myself a promotion I'll go right back. It's not a fun place hell. You saved Spike, so save me."

Fred was stunned. For a moment she couldn't speak. "How?"

"You figured it out once, do it again."

"If the senior partners want to put you back I can't stop them."

"So make sure they don't want to." Lilah said

"I might not be able to do this." Fred said

"We had a deal." Lilah said "Keep your end."

Fred took a moment to think. "I was able to save Spike because I knew what was happening to him. Before I had that information I couldn't help him. I need data to get anything done. What do the senior partners want you to do exactly?"

Lilah smirked. "Come on sweetie, do I look that easy?"

"I'm not trying to play you." Fred said "I'm not like you." Fred began to get agitated with the dead woman "You came to me for help. I don't have to sit here and be accused by you!"

"No need to get emotional mommy."

Fred's jaw dropped. "What?"

"I wonder why you didn't tell him."

Fred pointed at the door. "Get out."

"Are you afraid he'll reject you?" Lilah's voice was full of fake pity

"If you breathe a word of this to anyone-"

"I don't breathe."

"If you say anything I will find a way to make you pay."

"People keep threatening me." Lilah said "Nothing ever comes of it."

"Look me in the eye." Fred said "Am I joking?"

"No, didn't I say you were special?" Lilah turned and walked away.

Fred laid her head in her arms on her desk and she cried.

…

Dr. Sparrow watched Knox come rushing into his office. The younger man took a seat in front of Sparrow's desk. "You might want to save up your Candela, my supplier wasn't able to bring any in this week."

"What did I tell you about barging in unannounced?" Sparrow asked

"I figured you would want to know." Knox said in his whiny voice

"This is getting ridiculous. The implant should have worn off by now." Sparrow said

"Hey, that's your department." Knox said

"Well I'll be happy when this is all over and I don't have the senior partners breathing down my neck. They want that man dead even more than you do."

Knox shrugged. "I don't care."

"I thought you couldn't wait for the lovely Ms. Burkle to be single."

Knox fidgeted. "She's pregnant. She used the machines in the lab to run a blood test on herself and I took a look at the results. I don't think it's going to work out between us."

"Bummer," Sparrow said "But there are other fish in the sea."

"Not like this one." Knox leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. "I've never met anyone like her before. She's brilliant and funny and that body…" Knox chuckled

"You need to get her out of your head." Sparrow said

"I wish I could."

Sparrow grinned. "I've got just the thing." He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a glass vial. "I used this on a girl once. The side effects include memory loss. There are no long-term medical effects and it won't hurt her kid, so she won't know she was drugged."

"What does it do, make you loopy?"

"Nope, horny. One drink with this stuff in it and you'll _have _to jump the bones of the next person you see. So use the girl and walk away. She'll never remember what happened."

Knox took the vial. "I don't know, it sounds risky."

"Riskier than what we've normally been doing these last couple of months?"

Knox smirked. He put the vial in his pocket. "I guess not."

"That big party tonight will be perfect." Sparrow said with a lecherous grin

…

Angel sighed as he and Lorne reentered the building. "That was horrible."

Lorne clapped him on the back. "But you did good you big lug you."

"I don't like this Lorne. Making nice with people like Sebassis and Izzy, it's unseemly."

"Look buddy, you did most of the hard stuff. Now all you need to do is enjoy the party."

"Yay," Angel said with zero enthusiasm

"Cheer up." Lorne clapped him on the back again.

Angel sighed as he headed to his office. "_This_ is my idea of hell."

…

Spike laid out in the sand under a pier. Doyle walked up. "I thought I'd find you here."

"Hm," Spike said

Doyle sat down heavily in the sand next to him. "You're in a slump mate."

"Hm,"

"I'm serious. You've got all of these options and you aren't taking any of them."

"I like to keep my options open." Spike said

"Pretty soon they'll all be gone." Doyle said "People move on."

Spike shrugged. "Maybe I want them to."

"Well I understand that."

Spike shot Doyle a glance. "Is that right?"

"Yep." Doyle said "You might not think it, but I used to be a big man about town."

"What happened?"

"Doesn't matter," Doyle said

"Does it have anything to do with why you believe my crazy story?"

"Maybe,"

Spike sighed. "I can't leave. Not if what Pavayne showed me is true."

"You think it is?"

"I can't take the chance. That woman saved my life. I can't let her or her baby die."

"Then why don't you go back?"

Spike shrugged. "I don't know."

…

Harmony yelped with excitement as a guy from legal lifted her onto his shoulders and began to sway, causing her to shriek more. "All right Harmonica!" Lorne shouted

Angel stood next to Lorne's happy jaunty figure. The vampire was as stiff as a block of wood while he stared at the clock, willing it to accelerate. "Can I go now?"

"Not until you greet the archduke." Lorne said

Angel frowned. "I hate this."

"Angel-cakes," Lorne said in a reprimanding tone "_Try _to have some fun."

"This isn't fun for me."

"It's important for the company." Lorne said

"I could be out there right now slaying vampires and decapitating demons."

"Talk a little louder sweetie, I don't think the buffet table heard you."

"This isn't supposed to be what we're about." Angel groused

"What? Having a good time? Loosening up?"

"How am I supposed to loosen up in a room full of people that either want to kill me or have tried to kill me before?" Angel asked "That is not a loose-making environment."

"Angel everyone has tried to kill you. Your secretary tried to kill you. Your ex-girlfriend tried to kill you. Who hasn't tried to kill you? You need to quit using that as a cover for your psychological baggage." Lorne looked thoughtful. "Unless that is your psychological baggage."

"This. Sucks." Angel said

"Because you want it to." Lorne said "Life shapes around our expec- Hey!" Lorne ran over to the guy from legal who still had Harmony on his shoulders and a buddy of his who was holding a small orb. "I told security not to let anyone in with these things."

"Come on Lorne." The one with Harmony said "A party isn't a party without a little perception alteration. I heard last year's party a guy on these went nuts and killed two people."

"Which is exactly why I banned them." Lorne snatched the orb away.

"Well those kinds of stories always get exaggerated." The lawyer said, switching tracks

"Actually it was five people." Lilah said, walking up "I was there." She clapped Lorne on the shoulder. "Don't feel too bad for them, they weren't long for this world anyway. None of us were on account of the whole being systematically murdered thing."

"The new regime won't have another embarrassing failure like that will it?" A demon asked as he walked up "Losing your entire staff to an old one is not quite the way to make a good impression and gather support. Perhaps other old ones are more worthy of my alliance."

"Archduke," Lorne said as the living lawyers and Harmony scurried away from the powerful demon's frightening presence "I don't know about all that, but we're so glad you could make it. I believe you know Lilah Morgan."

"You fail to kill Illyria and they promote you." The archduke said

"Who says I failed?" Lilah asked

"I much preferred your friend, what was his name?"

"Lindsey?" Lilah asked in a cold tone

"Yes, he was a sporting fellow."

"Yet he's gone, and I'm still here." Lilah said

"Okay kids, no fighting." Lorne said "We're all here to have a good time. This is a place where the good," He gestured to himself. "Evil," He gestured to Lilah and the archduke. "The pretty," He gestured to himself and Lilah. "And the ugly." He started to gesture to the archduke, reconsidered, and just smiled. "Can get together and just revel. No fear, just fun."

"This isn't Caritas Lorne." Lilah said "There is no more neutral ground."

"There is tonight." Lorne said "Now let's have some fun."

…

Knox ladled some virgin punch into a plastic cup and then discretely poured the contents of his vial into the punch. He didn't notice that some of the liquid from the vial spilled into the punch bowl. He scanned the room to see if anyone had noticed what he'd done and then walked off to find Fred. He saw her standing with Wesley. The two of them were talking and laughing about something. He knew it would be weird to go up to her and offer her a drink with her boyfriend right there. He had an idea. He walked up to Wesley. "Ms. Morgan wants to see you."

"What does she want?" Wesley sounded annoyed.

"I don't know, she was pretty adamant though."

Wesley sighed. "I'll go see what she wants." He walked off.

Fred shook her head. "I don't know what to think of her. One minute she's trying to slaughter me and all of my friends, then she saves my life, and then she- I don't get it."

"To tell you the truth she kind of scares me." Knox said

She smiled at him. "Don't worry, Angel won't let her hurt anybody."

"Punch?" He held out the cup.

"No thanks," Fred said

"It's just punch, there's no alcohol in it."

She gave him an odd look. He cursed himself internally. He hoped she didn't assume he knew about the pregnancy. "I'm fine. Thanks." His plan was falling apart fast.

"This is good stuff. Fruity,"

"Knox," Fred looked uncomfortable. "I think you're really sweet. I've noticed the way you sort of… hang around the lab. I mean I know you work there, but you always find excuses to be around me. I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I'm in a happy relationship. I just want us to be friends. Can we do that?" She gave him an expression of pity that infuriated him.

He smiled at her. "I want to be friends too. If I did anything to make you uncomfortable I sincerely apologize." He picked up an abandoned cup of punch from a table and held the spiked one in his other hand out to her. "A toast to friendship," He said "What do you say?"

She looked awkward. She took the spiked punch and clinked it against the other plastic cup. "To friendship," He drank his punch and watched her not drink hers.

"What's wrong?" He asked

"I just sort of have an upset stomach and don't want any sugar." She said

"I hear sugar is actually good for an upset stomach because the hydrocarbons-"

"Fred!" Gunn ran over. "You've got to come check this out!" Fred smiled at her friend and the juxtaposition to the way she had been looking at him cut into Knox. She put her drink down and followed her friend away, laughing as he described the hilarity of some stunt. Knox stared at the abandoned punch and sighed. There went his last shot. He picked up the cup and went to the bathroom to pour the liquid down the sink. He didn't want anyone to find out someone had been spiking punch. Fred was pretty smart and might draw the connection.

…

"What do you want Lilah?"

Lilah watched Wesley approach her and cocked her head in curiosity. "What?"

"Knox said you wanted to see me."

Lilah frowned. Knox? Was this a part of the senior partners' plans? They hadn't alerted her that anything was going to happen tonight. Lilah looked around and saw Knox chatting up an uncomfortable-looking Fred. Lilah grinned. So he just wanted to talk to the pretty girl. "Yes, I think you and I need to discuss something." She needed to think of something convincing.

"All right, make it fast."

"But first we need to make small talk. That's what people do at parties." Lilah said

"I don't want to talk to you any longer than I have to." Wesley said

"Don't be rude. How's it going running mystical affairs?"

"Fine," Wesley said; he was clearly becoming aggravated

She had an idea. "I heard one of your employees used to work with your father."

"Who told you that?"

Lilah made a fluttering motion next to her ear. "A little birdie,"

"Hm,"

"Oh come on. I get enough of that from Angel. Give me something Wes."

"I thought I told you not to call me that anymore." Wesley said

Lilah smiled at him. "What are you going to do about it?"

He turned away from her while he looked for something to do in order to conceal his growing agitation. He didn't want her to know she was getting to him again. He ladled himself a cup of punch. "I'm not going to do anything Lilah. It doesn't really matter."

"I know sweetie."

"What?" He asked as he sipped the punch "What did you call me?"

"Sweetie, it's a term of endearment. When used ironically-"

"Did you have something you actually wanted to talk about or-" He stopped.

"Wesley?"

He put down the punch and looked at her. He looked confused. "That's odd."

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I feel… very strange."

She looked down at the punch and then grinned in amusement. "I think somebody spiked the punch bowl. I better tell security. Lorne is determined for this party not to end up-"

"Has anyone ever told you how incredibly attractive you are?" Wesley asked her

Lilah stared at him. He wasn't kidding. "Oh yeah, definitely spiked."

"Because you are an excellent specimen of a woman, curved in all the right places."

She laughed. "Honey tonight's my lucky night." She grabbed his collar and pulled him close to her. She pressed her lips against him and put her tongue in his mouth.

"This is wrong." He said without conviction

"Want to go to your office?"

"Okay,"

…

The archduke stared in disdain at the partygoers and their antics. Lorne was doing a duet with an atrocious singer from the steno pool. Harmony was making out with a different guy from legal than she had been before. Gunn and Fred were laughing at the result of a color bomb someone had accidentally set off in their pocket. The man was a myriad of colors and the wall behind where he had been hit was as well. People were chuckling at him and he was laughing right along with them. It seemed that everyone was having fun. Even the demons were having a great time. Angel was chatting with a balancing demon about the hockey team they were both fans of. The archduke shook his head in disgust. Where was the chaos and violence?

…

Fred walked around the room looking for Wesley. "Hey," She said to Harmony

"Fred!" Harmony kissed Fred on the cheek. "Is this party great or what?"

"I thought it was hard for vampires to get drunk with their constitution." Fred said

"Hard, but not impossible. I'm motivated." Harmony said

Fred couldn't help but smile. Harmony's glee was contagious. "Have you seen Wes?"

"Nope," Harmony gasped. "Yes!"

"Is that a no or a yes?"

"I saw him." Harmony thought. "With Lilah!" She slurred "They looked pretty happy with the hands and the lips and the-" She gave Fred a knowing look. "Men are bastards."

"Hold up. You mean he was _with_ Lilah? Like they were together?" Fred didn't believe what she was hearing. "How can you be sure? You're pretty wasted Harmony, no offense."

"Hey," Harmony garbled "I know. What I saw. I saw your man with Lilah."

Fred refused to believe that. "Where was this?"

"I think they were going to his office." Harmony said

"Thanks Harmony." Fred walked toward the offices.

…

Angel saw Fred walk past him without even noticing him. She looked annoyed, confused, hurt, and pissed off. Angel excused himself and followed her. "Fred wait up!"

She turned around and glared at him. "What Angel?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," She started to walk away.

"Fred," He said in a tone of deep concern "What happened?"

She sighed as she turned back around. "Nothing, I'm just going to check on something."

"What is it?"

She looked at the ground. "It's stupid."

"Not if it has you this upset."

Fred picked at her skirt. "Harmony said she saw Wesley and Lilah together. She said they were…" Fred looked up and Angel was surprised to see her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Fred are you-" He stopped mid-question. He smelled something. "Are you pregnant?!"

Fred took on a panicked expression. "Shhh!" She looked around. "Someone will hear."

Angel whispered. "You smell pregnant."

"Okay, yes. Please don't tell anyone." She begged, the tears were now spilling

"How long have you known about this?"

"Five weeks, I'm two and a half months along."

"This is insane. What happened?"

Fred glared at him. "Well when a man and a woman-"

He held up a hand. "Okay, I see your point. That was a stupid question."

"Especially when the father of my child is screwing Lilah." She somehow managed to shout and whisper at the same time. "Apparently they were all hands and lips and…"

Angel watched her wipe tears away. "Fred, I think you're-"

"If you say hormonal I will kick your ass." She said

He backed away. For some reason he was genuinely frightened. It might be because he remembered what pregnant Darla was capable of. "I'm sure Harmony saw someone else."

Fred took in a deep breath and then exhaled. "I know. I knew that. I just got so upset and I wasn't thinking clearly and I-" She took in another deep breath and then exhaled again.

Angel walked up to her and gripped her shoulders. "You need to sit down. Go to my office and get off your feet. I'll go find Wesley and we'll clear this whole thing up. Okay?"

She nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I'm sorry."

He kissed the crown of her head. "Don't apologize. I'll take care of this."

She nodded and walked to his office. He watched her go. If he had a heartbeat it would be going at ninety miles an hour. Fred was pregnant? What did that mean? Angel thought about what Lilah had told him after Wesley got shot. Was this connected? Speaking of Lilah what the hell was she up to? Angel walked toward Wesley's office. Had she told him about the memory spell? Had she revealed their past to him? But even that wouldn't explain this. Angel threw the door to Wesley's office open and immediately averted his eyes from the pair on the couch making the beast with two backs. "Someone tell me this is a terrible nightmare." Angel said

Lilah and Wesley both fell off the couch. Lilah pulled her skit back up and stood up to face Angel, hastily buttoning her blouse. She grinned at Angel. "Hey boss."

"What the hell are you doing?" Angel asked, still looking away

"We were uh… What were we doing?" Wesley said

Angel looked back at them. Wesley was half dressed and looked very confused. Lilah was also half dressed, but she looked quite aware and extremely smug. "Lilah," Angel said in a low threatening growl "What the hell did you do to him? And don't jerk me around."

"We did a lot of things. Do you want the play by play?"

Angel went further into the room and grabbed Lilah by the neck. He shoved her against the wall. "I know you can't feel pain, but I wonder what would happen if I hacked an arm off."

"I can get a new one." She said easily

"What did you do?"

"It wasn't me. Somebody spiked the punch. I don't know who it was or what they used."

Angel let go of her, it wasn't as if she was intimidated. "So you were just taking advantage of an opportunity?" Angel asked "How is that better? What is wrong with you?"

She looked at his face and the expression of disgust on it. "It was an experiment."

"What?" Angel was incredulous.

Wesley sat down on the floor and touched his head. "Anybody else feel dizzy?"

"He's not an experiment, he's a human being."

Lilah smirked. "Oh that's not fair. Illyria got to play with him, you got to go shifting through his head. Why can't I have a turn? It's just one more night that he'll never remember."

Angel stared at her in horror. "Were you ever a human being? Do you even have a soul?"

"Come on Angel, don't be so emotional." Lilah said in a haughty tone

"Lilah you just raped somebody." Angel shivered. The word felt dirty in his mouth.

"But something you can't remember never happened. You taught me that."

"It happened. Everything has consequences Lilah."

Lilah shrugged. "I'm dead, my life can't get any worse because it's over."

"Listen to me Lilah. I want you to leave this office. I don't ever want you to come back in here again. Stay away from Wesley. Stay away from Fred. If you don't I'll go up to the white room and tell the conduit I won't stay here unless you're fired. Tell me I'm bluffing."

Lilah looked away. She couldn't hide her fear completely. She didn't want to go back to the hell that was waiting for her. "I'll stay away from them." She promised

"Why are you still here?" Angel asked

She walked away. Angel watched her go and then looked at his friend. Wesley had fallen asleep at some point. Whatever had been in that punchbowl had knocked him out. Angel wondered if Lilah was right and he wouldn't remember this. Angel felt a twinge of guilt. How much of this man's life would Angel be responsible for wiping away? Angel lifted his friend onto the couch. What the hell was Angel going to tell Fred? What was he going to do about the spiked punchbowl? Angel ran out of the office and into the lobby. "Lorne!" Angel ran over to Lorne and pulled the Pylean away from a chatty paralegal. "We have a serious problem."

"Ease up Sweetne-"

"Someone put date rape drugs in the punch."

Lorne paled. It was an interesting contrast to his green complexion. "Seriously?"

"Look for people behaving oddly, or just horny. I'll call the lab and have them send someone up to test the punch. Try to keep people from having sex unless you're sure they didn't drink the punch." Angel left without a reply and headed over to the buffet table.

Gunn approached. "Are you all right Angel? You look pissed."

Angel grabbed Gunn's arm and pulled him away from the crowd. "The punch is spiked."

"Angel I've never been to a party where the punch _wasn't_ spiked."

"Not with vodka." Angel whispered "Some kind of drug."

"What kind of-"

"A makes-you-want-to-have-sex drug from what I can tell." Angel said

Gunn looked disgusted. "Who would do that?"

"I don't know who spiked it, but I know who would take advantage of the opportunity."

"What are you talking about?" Gunn asked

"Lilah,"

…

Gunn stood over Knox's shoulder, waiting for the man to finish the analysis. "What's taking so long?" Gunn demanded "Fred would have had this done in seconds."

"There's nothing here." Knox said "Are you sure it was the punch?"

"Yes, we're sure." Gunn said in an aggravated tone

"Well whatever it was must have evaporated away." Knox said

Gunn stormed out, uninterested in explanations. Knox made sure the attorney was gone before he shredded the original report and set to creating a forgery. That was too close.

…

Angel walked into his office and was unsurprised to find Lilah there. "If it makes you feel any better the senior partners are very unhappy with me." Lilah said

"It doesn't."

"You're angry."

"Of course I'm angry Lilah. You hurt my friend."

"I meant with yourself, because you wanted to see me." Lilah explained

Angel sighed. He was angry with himself. "I need to know-"

"The baby is human." Lilah said "Wesley isn't anymore. Fred is pregnant because of the changes to Wesley's biology, but their child will be human, more so than Conner."

Angel took a moment to process this. "Will there be any side effects?"

"The senior partners can't always see what involves another old one, but they are fairly certain that it a normal human baby inside Fred."

Angel nodded. "That's all I wanted to know, get out."

"Come on, how long are you going to be mad?" Lilah asked

"You crossed a line." Angel said "You can't just keep going back and forth, playing for both sides and pretending it's all right. You can't come back from this. You never will."

"I never wanted to." Lilah said "I just wanted to know if skin can remember what the mind has forgotten. I don't want redemption, or love. I just wanted my curiosity satisfied."

"I don't want to know Lilah, leave."

…

Fred knocked on the door to Wesley's office. "Come in." A soft voice said

Fred entered the room. He was sitting at his desk with his chair turned around toward the window. "Hey," She said in her most soothing voice "Please don't shut me out."

"I'm not." He said "I'm just thinking."

She walked up to him, but didn't touch him. She didn't know if that would help or just make things worse. "You know I love you right? And you know nothing can change that?"

"Sure," Wesley said "I know."

"Knox couldn't find anything in the punch. I went back over his findings and he didn't miss anything. Whatever did… this to you, we can't figure out what it was."

"I know what it was." He whispered

"You do?"

He picked up a book from his lap and handed it to her. "I cross referenced the symptoms I know the drug causes with the ones I know it can't. It's a techno-mystic hybrid compound."

Fred didn't look at the book. "Please don't go away."

He finally turned to look at her. "I'm right here."

"You're hurt, I can see it. Please talk to me." She begged

"What do you want me to say?" Wesley asked

"Whatever you need to. Maybe start with how you feel."

He looked at his hands. "Do you know what's weird? Not being able to remember is worse than what she did. It's like someone reached into my head and ripped something out."

Fred touched his hand. He gripped hers like a lifeline. "That's not weird. I understand."


	6. The Cautionary Tale of Number Five

Spike walked down the dark street. He saw a man huddled in front of a brick wall shaking with pain and terror. Spike took a closer look. "Doyle?"

The man looked up and then away. "Go, please go."

"What happened to you mate?"

"It's the visions. They won't leave me alone."

"Visions?"

"You were right about me having a history." Doyle said

"You're caught up in something huh? Something ugly?"

"I see things. I see people who are going to get hurt, going to die."

"You're a seer?" Spike asked

"Maybe, I don't know. All I do know is that there is a woman in an alley about to get killed by a vampire and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. I just want it to stop."

Doyle's face was wet with tears. "Where's this alley?" Spike asked

"What's it matter?" Doyle asked

"That woman isn't going to die." Spike said

…

Angel sat at his desk reading a file. He both hated and was glad that his ability to administer Wolfram & Hart was improving. He had a few meetings this morning, but right now he had plenty of free time to read files, or deal with personal issues. The door to his office opened without anyone knocking and Fred came in. She looked annoyed so he assumed she knew why he had asked her to meet him. "Hey Fred," Angel smiled at her. She crossed her arms and stood in front of his desk. "Why don't you sit down?" He asked "I thought we could talk."

Fred refused the seat. "I know what you want to talk about."

"Okay, good-"

"It's none of your business. You shouldn't even know."

Angel sighed. "Fred I'm your friend. I'm worried about you."

"That's great and all," Fred said "But I'm fine."

"Okay, I don't understand why you're being like this."

"Because my reproductive decisions are not your concern."

"Fred, you need to tell him."

"I will." She said "And when I choose to do that is none of your business."

"Look when I-" Angel quickly cut himself off. He had almost mentioned Conner and what it had been like to find out about him so late. Angel couldn't do that.

"When you what?" Fred asked

"When I ask you these questions, it's only out of love. I'm not trying to pry."

"And yet," She said "Here you are prying."

"Fred everyone has been acting really weird since-"

"Don't." She cut him off "Say it. Don't say it."

"I-" His phone rang. "Hold that thought. Yeah." He watched her as he listened to Gunn's voice on the other end of the line. She looked both upset and determined. "Well that's great. Yes I'm sure everyone will be glad that we managed to take care of that in a non-violent manner."

"Angel I need to go." Fred said

"Listen Gunn, let me call you back." Angel hung up the phone. "Please talk to me."

"I have nothing to say." Fred said

"Why don't you want to tell him?" Angel asked

"I'm just trying to figure out how I feel Angel. Why does that bother you?"

Angel gave up. "It doesn't. I'm sorry, I was just trying to help."

Fred smiled at him. "Thank you, but I'm fine."

"Okay," Angel didn't quite believe her. Fred left the office and saw Lilah leaning against the wall, waiting. Fred's face twisted into an expression of disgust and she walked away without another word. Lilah came in. She knew better than to wear her usual grin. Angel was glaring at her with an expression of hate. "I told you to stay away from them. My threat doesn't expire."

"I didn't know she was in here."

He scoffed in disbelief. "You know everything that goes on in this building."

"True," She sat down without an invitation. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" He growled

"You've never heard the cautionary tale of number five."

"Who?"

…

Gunn walked up to Harmony's desk. "You said you had something for me."

Harmony smiled at him. "The courthouse sent these back." She held out a manila envelope to him. "They said the depositions were misfiled. Some sneaky legal maneuvering?"

Gunn took the envelope. How had this happened? "Yeah, thanks Harmony."

"No problemo. Hey don't forget about the conference next week with all the demon clan leaders in the L.A. area. One called Angel and cursed at him in a language I don't know because you sent his clan a symbolic gift meaning his mother is a whore. Why'd you do that?"

"No I-" Gunn had a dawning realization. "The gifts to the different clan leaders must have gotten swapped. I'll fix it. Thanks Harmony." Gunn fled before she could respond. How could he have made two such big mistakes? Gunn went into his office and pulled out the order for the tributes to the different demon clan leaders. Everything appeared to be in order. The only explanation was that Gunn was wrong about which gift was which. But Gunn's legal upgrade meant the customs of all the different clans were in his head. How could he be wrong? Gunn put the papers back into his desk and left his office. He knocked on Wesley's door, panicking.

"Come in." Gunn entered looking upset.

Wesley was pouring over some sort of tome. "Are you all right?"

"I need to borrow a book on demon customs." Gunn said

"I thought you had all of that information in your head." Wesley said

"I do. I just… I need to photocopy a passage to send to a lawyer. I mean I could transcribe it by hand from memory, but that would take a long time."

"Of course," Wesley pointed to one of his many bookshelves. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," Gunn went over to the shelf and looked for the book he needed.

"Are you okay?" Wesley asked "You look upset about something."

Gunn turned around with the book in his hands. He remembered when their group had first arrived here and Gunn had promised that he would confide in his friends if he had any problems with his new position. Gunn knew he should tell Wesley what had happened, but he really didn't want to bother the man. It had been a month since the party and everyone had reacted differently to the event. Gunn just felt awkward, around everyone. He had to see Lilah every day. Before the party he had almost been getting closer to her, but now he never wanted to look at her. They had to work together on cases and since Lilah wasn't allowed to go anywhere near Fred or Wesley she focused most of her mind games on him. Gunn didn't know how to handle her and he wasn't going to talk to anyone about it. His issues with the dead lawyer weren't nearly as serious as Wesley's. Now he found himself thinking a similar thing. Who was going to care about Gunn's fading implant after what had happened last month. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Well we're all a little over-worked." Gunn said "Speaking of which…"

"Right," Wesley said as Gunn retreated "I'll see you later."

…

Spike was asleep in the basement of the abandoned building he was squatting in. He was roused by the noise of footsteps. He sat up and watched Doyle come in. "Hey man," Doyle said

"Did a vision tell you where to find me?" Spike asked

"Yep,"

"Well what do you want?"

"That was a great thing you did last night." Doyle said

"Sure," Spike said "We're great blokes."

"Not us, just you." Doyle said

"Hey, that girl would be dead if not for your vision." Spike said

"I'll have more." Doyle said

"So what you're wondering is if last night was a one-time thing." Spike said

Doyle nodded.

Spike considered this. "It's not like I'm doing anything better. I miss the bloody violence to tell you the truth. If you see the evil demons, I'll take them out."

Doyle grinned. "These visions have been my curse for so long. Now they have a purpose beyond just causing me pain. They mean something. They'll help people."

Spike stared at Doyle. The man looked so relieved. "How long have you had them?"

"Feels like forever," Doyle said

"I'm sorry." Spike said

"I don't understand why they chose me. I'm not a hero."

Spike scoffed. "Well the bar is set pretty low these days."

…

Angel sat back in his chair, listening to Lilah. "Number five was in a group of ten applicants to an open position at Wolfram & Hart. Each of the applicants had been tested in a number of areas and they were all more than qualified for the position. Now the tine came to find out if they could do the job. Each was locked in a room with another applicant. The applicants only had numbers. They were forbidden from sharing their names. Number five and number six were locked in together. Each had been given a wooden box and a piece of paper with instructions written on it. They were told not to look at the paper until the timer in the middle of the room started. Number five cheated. The paper said to open the box and press the button at the bottom of the box. Number five thought this was odd, but he waited until the timer had started and he pressed the button. The test had nothing to do with the instructions you see. We were only interested in candidates who would cheat to get the job. All but two of them did. Number six and number nine were honest. So number six and nine were dismissed and number ten was put in number five's room. Now the real test began. The next set of instruction was delivered and the doors were locked again. The instructions were simple. The first instruction was not to leave the room under any circumstances. The second was to make the other applicant go."

"Lilah what's the point of this?" Angel interrupted "I have things to do."

"This is important." Lilah said in a serious tone

"Or it's a distraction." Angel said

"You need to know what happened to number five." Lilah said

"Why?"

"You'll understand when you know." Lilah said

Angel huffed in frustration. "Fine,"

…

Gunn knocked on the door to Dr. Sparrow's office. The doctor opened the door and displayed a wide grin, as though he had been waiting for Gunn for some time. "Please come in councilor." Dr. Sparrow said "Is there anything I can help you with?" Sparrow gestured inside

Gunn followed the doctor into his office and took a seat. "It's fading." Gunn said

"Your upgrade?" Sparrow asked

"Yes, I need you to fix it." Gunn said

"Is that right?" Sparrow crossed his arms in front of his chest and sat on the edge of his desk still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Perhaps your mind is simply incompatible with intellect."

"What?" Gunn was both shocked and angry.

"Some people just aren't meant for great things Mr. Gunn." Sparrow said

Gunn leapt to his feet. "I am! The big cat showed me!"

"Calm down Mr. Gunn." Sparrow said easily "I can fix your implant."

"Today?"

"Well, there's a price you see."

"How much do you need?" Gunn asked

Sparrow chuckled. "It's not money."

"What is it?" Gunn asked desperately

"Why are you so anxious Mr. Gunn? Your team already has a smart guy. You're the bruiser, aren't you happy with that? Aren't you satisfied with your place in the world?"

"I'm not just dumb muscle." Gunn said tightly "You didn't see what the conduit did."

"Well far be it from me to question the conduit," Sparrow said "But there's still a price."

"I'll pay it." Gunn said

Sparrow reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. "I have a valuable shipment stuck in customs right now. I need a good lawyer to get it out. I need you councilor."

Gunn took the paper. "This doesn't say what's in the shipment."

"Does it matter?"

Gunn stared at the piece of paper in his hand. "Is it dangerous?"

"You must not really want this upgrade huh?"

Gunn looked up from the paper at Sparrow. "I don't want to be responsible for someone getting hurt." He said "I can't trade somebody's life for my own needs. We don't do that."

"Yes we do." Sparrow said "You're one of us now and we do in fact do that."

Gunn put the paper down on the desk. "I promised I wouldn't let this place change me."

"You'll find a way to justify it." Sparrow said "Think of all the people you've saved since you got here. Think of all of the people you will with your new upgrade. If you think about it the right way you're hurting more people by not signing this paper than you are by signing it."

Gunn stared at the paper. "You're asking me to make a deal with the devil."

"No, you already did that. I'm asking you to make a deal with me."

Gunn picked up the piece of paper. "Okay," He whispered "Fix me and then I'll get your shipment out of customs." Gunn didn't look up at the doctor. His shame prevented him. So he didn't see the giddy look on Sparrow's face. Gunn followed Sparrow into the operating room.

…

"This is odd isn't it?" Number five asked

Number ten took in the man. Number five had a very neat clean suit, but there was only so much the man could do to have disguised its cheapness. Number ten was in a very expensive immaculate suit. He had gone to the best law school in the country on his father's dime. Number ten knew he was getting this job. Number five was going to flee the room in tears. "Yes,"

"I wonder what happens if neither of us leave. Eventually we'll have to eat."

"I suppose so." Number ten said

"Where are you from then?"

"Virginia, you?"

"That's a long way to come for a job interview." Number five said

"Well I can afford the trip."

"I know." Number five said "Your father in a senator."

Number ten jolted in his seat. "How do you know who I am?"

"I saw you in a newspaper one time. I know what elementary school you went to. I know the name of your fiancé. I know she is staying with your parents while she waits for the news that you go the job. When you wire her you have it she'll come here to make a home with you."

Number ten stared. "How could you possibly know all of that?"

"I deduced some of it. But I'm not done. I know you look down on me because of where I come from. You think because I have nothing I am nothing. You would be right, except I do have one thing. When I decide something it is done. I have decided you won't get that home."

"Well that isn't your decision." Number ten said

"Yes it is. There are two paths for you now and I see them both clearly. You see I have nothing to lose, but you have everything. Either I get this job and you go home a failure or you get this job and I go to your home a failure. I'll slit your pretty girl's throat and deny you the lovely life you have planned that way. Either way you can't have it." Number ten opened his mouth to protest but number five didn't let him. "You're right, we are being recorded. They don't care if I kill her. They want somebody ruthless. If you're willing to let your lover die than they want you and if I'm willing to kill her they want me. They won't call the cops and you won't be able to stop me. I'm giving you a choice, the girl or the job. You'll choose the girl."

"Maybe I don't believe you." Number ten said in a shaky voice

"Yes you do."

…

Fred knocked on her boyfriend's office door. She kind of hated this office now, but she was never going to tell him that. He told her to come in and she did. He was translating something. She sat down in front of his desk. "There's a lull in the lab." She said

He diverted his attention from his book. "So you thought you'd come see me?"

She nodded, smiling. "That was my thought process, yes."

He grinned at her. "I like the way you think." She remembered what Angel had told her this morning. What if she just said it now? Once she said it the information would be out there and she wouldn't get to redo the reveal. "Fred?" Wesley was examining her, she had zoned out.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," He said sincerely

"It's kind of a serious question."

"Then I'll do my best to give a serious answer."

Fred smiled wearily. "Where do you see us in five years, or ten?"

Wesley looked into her eyes. "That is a serious question."

"It's funny, because we haven't really been together that long and I feel like I've always been with you. It's like I've known you my whole life, which is silly I realize." Fred said

"That's not silly." Wesley said "I know what you're talking about."

"So where will we be in the future?" She asked "Just guess."

"Well I hope we'll still be together." He said "But our lives are so uncertain that I can't really hazard a guess at much else. I don't even know if we'll still be at Wolfram & Hart."

"Yeah," Fred said "But I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about us."

"Right, well what specifically are you asking about?"

Fred felt a stir of agitation and quelled it. "What will have changed about us as a couple?"

"Well I hope nothing." Wesley said "I like us the way we are."

"But if something has to change," She said "What would you have it be?"

Wesley searched her face for the correct answer. He sensed there was one, but he had no idea what it could be. "Fred is something going on? Can't you just tell me what it is?"

She fidgeted, uncomfortable. "Not really, no."

"Why not?" He asked, confused

"I just…" Fred rubbed her arm, trying to dispel nervous energy. "Never mind,"

"Fred-"

"Let's talk about something else. What are you translating?"

Wesley examined her face. He handed her a notepad. "I have been thinking about the Shansu prophecy. The prophecy refers to a vampire with a soul who has a significant part to play in the coming apocalypse. In fact it might be said that the apocalypse revolves around him."

"Angel," Fred said "He's the one who has to stop it, I remember."

"Some of the passages are vague and inconsistent. So I've been looking through supplemental material to try and clarify a few confusing passages. Look at the fifth page."

Fred flipped through the notebook. On the fifth page was a sequence of numbers. "It's a geometric sequence." She said "Possibly a countdown of some kind."

"I think the numbers are in a base other than ten."

She squinted at the numbers. "It's not binary."

"If anyone can figure it out, that's you." Wesley said

"Sure," Fred ripped the page out of the notebook. "I'll play around with the numbers on my computer and see what shakes out." She smiled at him. "We make a good team."

"We do." He said, grinning at her

She smiled as she looked down at the numbers. She was glad that he was doing better, that was what mattered to her. The baby news could wait.

…

Knox saw Sparrow enter the lab. "Is your crush here?"

"No," Knox said "What's up, are you out of Candela?"

"I've got enough to last me for as long as we'll be here."

Knox's eyes widened. "It finally happened."

"Plan B is ready. Everything is in accordance with the prophecy. Soon every trace of Illyria will be gone from the world and the senior partners will have one less enemy."

Knox beamed. "We are so getting promoted for this."

"You know your job right?"

"Hey," Knox said "If your guy comes through and gets the crate into the country I can get it into the building without a problem. Illyria is as good as gone."

Sparrow chuckled. "The poor fool thinks he's going to help people."

"Well he's helping us." Knox said with a snicker "Does that count?"

"And Illyria is evil." Sparrow pointed out "She embodies destruction."

"We're doing the world a service really." Knox said

"Just don't screw up." Sparrow said "It should be here in a week."

"I'm on it." Knox called after the already departing doctor

…

"Did he get the job?" Angel asked

"Of course he did." Lilah said "After ten left he was paired with number seven. Then he was paired with number two. He made them both leave. He climbed the corporate ladder at Wolfram & Hart. He was something of a golden boy. He could do no wrong and the senior partners loved him. He won more cases than any other attorney at the firm. I could continue to describe him and his impressive achievements, but I think you already have a picture of him in your head that looks like our mutual acquaintance. No this story isn't about Lindsey, but it might as well be. Because you see one day there was a case. No one was quite sure why but this case got to number five. Number five walked away from it all. He walked away from the money, the power, and all of the things he had spent his whole life working for because of his conscience."

"Did Wolfram & Hart kill him?" Angel was intrigued by the story despite himself.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Well in the version of the story we tell our employees it's because he didn't matter to the company anymore. You see the cautionary tale of number five is a story we tell promising up and comers to help them get through the inevitable crisis of conscience we all face. We offer them the world Angel, but they always falter at the line. The line you told me I crossed that I can assure you I went over long before I hurt your friend, everyone falters at that line."

"Because deep down you know what you're doing is wrong." Angel said

"No Angel, we know it's wrong period. It's not a nagging doubt, it's a certainty."

"Then why do you do it?" Angel asked "Why do you do these evil things?"

"Because the cautionary tale of number five is a lie Angel." Lilah said

"I don't understand."

"Number five's name was Holland Manners."

…

Lindsey watched Spike take down the pair of vampires while the sweet innocent girls those vampires had planned to dine upon huddled in fear against the wall. Lindsey shook his head at their stupidity. Why didn't they run away? Spike was in his element. The vampire was loving this. Lindsey knew he could use the vampire to accomplish his goal. Spike loved the girl who had kill the old one Lindsey had aligned himself with. Spike loved her and would protect her as well as her little fledgling family. All Lindsey had to do was aim Spike at the right targets and everything standing in Lindsey's way would be gone. He could pull his god out of the infuriating Englishman and resurrect the awful world Angel had destroyed. Lindsey grinned.

…

"He didn't really leave?" Angel was confused

Lilah rolled her eyes. "You are so dense. How did we not crush you years ago?"

Angel scowled. "Holland Manners was running this branch until Darla ate him."

"True. Holland Manners left in the same way Lindsey did, meaning never to return."

"But he did." Angel started to understand.

"The caution in the tale is for you Angel." Lilah said "Once we have you we have you forever and even if you escape you'll come back. They always come back. Everyone in management has fled the dark side at one point or another. It's a rite of passage like when super heroes die in comic books." Angel raised an eyebrow at the reference. "But we all came back."

"What about you?" Angel asked

"My crisis came late, but it came. I refused to kill a man the partners needed dead."

Angel understood. "So that's why you're telling me this story."

"No," She said adamantly "I'm not asking for mercy or pity. This is about you. I was just answering your question. The reason I'm telling you this story is because from the moment you signed that contract we owned you. Even if you leave you're one of us now. You will always come back and when the senior partners need you you'll come through. I know you think you're special and that you can fight it, but all of this was foretold long ago."

"No," Angel let that one simple word convey a huge spectrum of emotions and meanings.

Lilah sighed. "We're both damned Angel. Don't you understand?"

"I am nothing like you." Angel said

…

Harmony watched Fred walk by staring at a piece of paper decorated in numbers. "Hey Fred," Harmony said "What's that?" The vampire gestured to the paper she had no interest in.

"A code, or a clock, I need to examine the correlation between-"

"Yeah I was just being polite, I don't actually care."

Fred was startled and then smiled at Harmony. "For someone who's evil that's sweet."

"Thanks," Harmony said with frank sincerity "And good luck with the boring numbers."

Fred nodded and then headed for the elevator. On the way to the lab she stopped on the floor with Lorne's office on it. She hadn't seen the Pylean all day. She knocked on the door and heard no answer. She didn't think he was going out of the office today. She pushed the door open and saw Lorne sitting at his desk looking at a framed picture with infinite sorrow. "Lorne?"

"Sorry Fredikins, I didn't mean to give you the brush-off." Lorne said

"What's wrong?"

He turned the picture around so she could see it. Lorne was standing in front of a familiar bar holding up a sea breeze. "Caritas," Fred smiled, remembering days gone by.

"It was my love, my one true love."

The smile slipped off of her face. "I'm sorry Lorne."

"I believed in an ideal. Mercy, the idea that there could be a place ruled by tolerance where all walks of life could gather in peace. I believed we could coexist, all of us."

"But you don't anymore?"

"No Fredikins, I held onto my ideal for as long as I could, but it's gone now."

Fred walked forward. "What happened?"

"I had to pick a side."

"Lorne that happened a long time ago." Fred said "Why are you so upset?"

"I feel guilty."

"Oh Lorne," She said "About the party?"

He nodded.

"How could you misconstrue that as being your fault in any way?"

"Because I was trying to recreate Caritas. It was a lie, a dangerous lie."

"You can't blame yourself for-"

Lorne cut her off. "I figured out what I was seeing in her."

"In who?" Fred asked

"I've seen a broken human being. I read destines. But she doesn't have one anymore. She is dead Fredikins, not vampire dead, dead dead. I figured out what was wrong with her."

"Lilah," Fred's voice was full of hate.

"There is something inside her head and I think it's in Angel's as well. It is the reason we're all here. I don't want to see anymore Fred. It's heavy."

She stared at him with alarm. "What are you talking about?"

"When we first came here I sensed something in Angel, something like fear."

"He was afraid to come here?"

"He was afraid to not."

"I don't-"

Fred stopped when Lorne blinked rapidly. He squinted at her. "Fred?"

She groaned in frustration. Why did everyone she knew have superpowers? "Don't."

"Are you-"

"Nope,"

Lorne became flustered. "Oh my God! You are."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh yeah?" He didn't believe her

"Yeah,"

"Then sing."

"No."

"Winifred Burkle you're with-!"

"Shhhhh!" She clenched her fists. "People will hear you."

His voice dropped to a whisper. "You're pregnant."

"Please don't tell anyone." She didn't know why she still bothered. The only people who didn't know at this point were Wesley, Gunn, and Harmony. "This is a secret."

"Well you could knock me over with a feather. Here I was moping at my desk emulating our beloved leader with my broody depression while you're carrying around the biggest news to hit our group since… ever! Oh come on Fred, please sing for me." Lorne was now very excited.

"Please lower your voice." Fred begged

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But I was just sitting here thinking the world was falling apart around my ears and you came in here with a bucket of glue. I keep seeing things get destroyed and you're growing something new. That's amazing Fredikins, truly amazing."

Against her will a smile started to take over her face. "Do you think?"

"Pfft, think?! I know sweetheart."

She looked down at the floor to hide her grin. For the first time since she's read that lab report she was genuinely happy about what it said. She had felt nervousness, fear, anger, and a million other emotions, but pure joy was not one. The reason she had been trying so hard to keep this a secret was because she had been trying to figure out how she felt. Now she thought she might know. "Thank you Lorne." She whispered "I think I needed to hear that."

"When are you going to tell dad? I think he could use some good news about now."

"I'll tell him soon. I'm just waiting for the right moment."

"Well a word to the wise. Moments are made, not found."

Fred gave her friend a nervous look. "Do you think he'll be happy?"

"I'm leaning more toward ecstatic. Are you really worried about that? Don't tell me that's why you've been waiting so long to spill the beans. He loves you more than anything in the world Fredikins. He'll be happier than a turkey in January to find out a tiny person that's half you and half him is coming into the world. Please give me a note, I'll be able to see the sex."

"No way," She said "I don't want to know yet."

Lorne sighed. "You're killing me."

"I have to go." She held up her piece of paper. "But thank you,"

"Just tell him quick okay? I can't keep a secret forever." Fred heard him whistling as she made her way back toward the lab. Despite herself she couldn't banish her grin.

…

Angel watched Lilah go. Why had she really told him that story? Had she intended only to discourage him, or was there more to it than that? Angel looked out the window at the warm rays of light shining into his office. He stood up and walked over to them, enjoying the feel of sunshine on his skin. He touched the glass. Was Lilah right? Would he keep coming back to Wolfram & Hart? Did they own him now? He couldn't accept that. There was a knock on the door and Angel called for whoever it was to come in. "Angel I need you to sign these." Gunn put a pile of forms on Angel's desk. "I should have had this done yesterday, but I forgot."

Angel made a noncommittal sound and walked over to his desk. "Do you ever worry?"

"What do you mean?" Gunn asked

Angel sat down and started signing papers. "Most of the people who work here sold their souls to this company. Maybe that's just a formality. Maybe being here is enough."

Gunn thought his heart might stop. Did Angel know? "What?"

Angel looked up at Gunn. "You guys are the only thing that keeps me sane. Knowing I have you, Fred, Wes, and Lorne to back me up, knowing that I can trust you, stops me from losing my mind. As long as we stick together they don't own us. They can't own us."

Gunn grinned and hoped Angel couldn't tell it was forced. "You're right."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all sappy."

"No, it means a lot to me that you think that."

Angel signed the last paper and then grinned at Gunn. "Good,"

Gunn collected the papers. "I need to go file these."

"Sure, I'll see you later."

Gunn managed to hold it together until he got to his office. Gunn sat down in his chair and then put his head in his hands. This brain that he held between his two hands was the source of his betrayal. "What have I done?" He whispered "What am I going to do?"

"You'll forget."

He looked up. Lilah was standing in his doorway. "Get out."

"Can you feel it?" She asked

"What?"

"The pull of hell." She grinned and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I know you don't believe it now, but the feeling fades. There is this wonderful sensation in the knowledge that you are damned. You can do whatever you want and you won't be any worse off. That's why I did what I did to Wesley. It's not as though declining to take advantage of him would have saved me from my inevitable fate. Nothing is off limits to me now. Embrace that freedom."

Gunn looked away, feeling slightly ill. "I just signed a piece of paper."

"Me too Charley-boy, but it sent me to hell. And I'll go back when my job is done."

"It's different. You're a bad person. You hurt people."

"And so will you. Your first victim will be whoever pays for Sparrow's package."

"Do you know who it is?"

She considered this. "Yes, but I won't tell you."

"To spare me?"

"To torture you," She corrected him

…

Fred got into the car with Wesley. "I was thinking Italian for dinner tonight." She said

"I'm amiable to that."

"Oh you're amiable to everything. You're amiable man." She teased

He chuckled. "Well I try."

"You don't have to be with me though."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you tell me things you think I want to hear. You spend so much time trying to make other people happy. When do you worry about yourself?"

He leaned over the division between their seats and kissed her. "When I'm with you."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. I'm never happier than when I'm with you."

…

Lilah stood on the roof feeling the rhythm of the building. Lorne was whistling exuberantly as he headed for his car. He had found out the increasingly less secret secret and was having trouble containing his joy. Harmony passed him on the way to her own car and they exchanged meaningless small talk. They waved and then moved apart from one another. Lilah wondered if they could appreciate just how valuable a connection like that was. Wesley was starting his car and about to go home with his pretty girlfriend. They would do all the things happy young people were allowed to do. They could eat food and taste it. They could bathe and clean bodies that got dirty. They could have sex with a person they loved. Gunn was in his office thinking about the decision he had made. He was hating himself. Angel was in his apartment lying on his bed. The vampire stared at the ceiling and thought about choices he had made since coming here. He sat up and picked a picture up from his nightstand. He leaned against his headboard and looked at Cordelia. Gunn got up and began pacing around his office. Lilah looked at the horizon. She wondered what Gunn would do when he found out who his signature had condemned. There was a time the thought would have brought her immense pleasure, but now she just felt empty. She sighed. Perhaps it would be better to go back to where she had come from. There wasn't a place for her in the world anymore. At least in hell she knew where she stood and why she was there. She knew what was coming next. And it didn't hurt this much.

…

Spike felt the bloody gash on his face from where a demon's claws had cut into him during their battle. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this good. "We should go out and paint the town." He told Doyle "There's no better chaser to violence than liquor."

"I'm in." Doyle said "I never turn down booze."

"Maybe we'll run into a few more vamps on the way."

"You'd like that wouldn't you." Doyle sounded impressed, but in truth Lindsey wasn't surprised in the least. He had read Spike's profile.

"You know mate, I really would." Spike ran on top of a cast aside crate and then jumped off onto the sidewalk. He felt like the world was his. His nature was that of a hunter and he accepted that this was not inherently a bad thing. He was both demon and man. Tonight he had satisfied both of them. He had caused pain and enjoyed it. But he had also saved innocent lives that could go on to play their part in the world. Spike thought he was going in the right direction.


	7. Lineage

Fred walked down the hall and quickly changed direction when she saw Lorne headed in her direction. "Fred! Hey Fred!" He ran after her. "Fredikins, Freddy-baby, Frezooskie."

"What the hell was that last one?" She asked as he fell in step with her

"Did you tell him yet?"

She looked around. "Have you ever heard of discretion?"

"Heard of it, wasn't interested. Sweetie I've known for a week. I'm going to lose my mind if you don't share your big news. I'm not designed for keeping secrets."

"A week is not a long time." Fred said

"Oh that's no excuse. You've known for far longer. If you wait any longer you won't have to tell him. His eyes will do it for you. Just be honest and speak from the heart."

"Be honest about what?" A voice behind them asked

Fred yelped and then turned around. Wesley was looking at her with that puzzled expression she found so sexy. "Wesley! Hey!" She looked at Lorne for help.

"Hey chickadees would you look at the time." He clapped his hands. "I have to go."

"But…" Lorne swiftly deserted her.

"What were you two talking about?" Wesley asked

"We… were talking about… Gunn's birthday!"

"Is four months from now." Wesley said

"Is it?"

"I'm pretty sure, yes."

"You know for some reason… Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

Wesley's expression became even more suspicious. "We just had breakfast an hour ago."

"Are you sure it was an hour?"

"Fairly,"

"That's weird. Well I'll see you later." Fred vanished

Harmony walked over. "Is it just me or has she been acting weird lately."

"It's not just you." Wesley murmured

"I thought not. So Angel needs to see you asap about a hex or something."

"All right, I'm on my way."

…

Lindsey examined the photograph. "Is that your girl?" The photographer asked

Lindsey responded by handing the man an envelope full of cash. The man took on an expression reminiscent of a kid at Christmas. "It's always a pleasure to do business with you."

"Why are you still here?" The man shrugged and then walked off. Lindsey looked at the beautiful raven-haired woman that was now confirmed to be in L.A. Looking at this picture he remembered a wine cellar that only he, this woman, Lilah, and Darla walked out of. The rest were wheeled out with sheets over their bloody corpses. He chuckled. "You and I are the only ones left sweetheart. But I don't think you'd be here if you weren't going to get anything out of the experience. You're not a fake like me." Lindsey pulled a lighter out of his pocket and flicked it, starting a flame. He hesitated to burn the evidence. "Which one are you here for?" He brought the picture over the flame and watched it burn. He dropped the photograph before he could burn his hand. He watched the last of it disappear. He clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. "All right! Woo! Let's go to work." He walked away from the picture.

…

Sparrow tapped his fingers against his desk impatiently. He heard a knock and jumped to his feet. He ran over to the door and opened it. Knox wheeled a crate into the office and grinned at his coconspirator. "This is it." Sparrow ran his hands along the wood, feeling the power contained within. This ancient relic was going to kill something that had once ruled the world.

"Yes it is." Sparrow breathed

"When do we get to use it?" Knox asked eagerly

"Tomorrow. Let's get this set up in the operating room."

"All right," Knox helped Sparrow wheel the crate into the operating room.

…

Gunn double-checked his agenda to make sure everything was in order. He was well ahead on all of his work. He was shutting down evil operations left and right. He made sure their branch was this quarter's top earner. Their suits against wealthy corporations were a large part of that and that source of revenue would eventually dry up, but not for a while. At first Gunn had assumed they would be gone by the time that happened, but now he wasn't so sure. Could he really leave this place, especially after what he had done? Gunn looked at the letters and numbers on these sheets of paper. They represented saved lives, but all he could see was a million different possibilities to what could have been in Sparrow's crate. He saw the faces of every innocent person he had ever saved and wondered if one of them was Sparrow's victim. Gunn wondered how many victim there were. He stood up, he needed to go home. Gunn left his office and passed by the open door to Wesley's office on the way to the elevator.

"Are you going to files and records?" Wesley called after him

Gunn backed up. "No, I'm heading out."

Wesley gave him a quizzical look. "I've never seen you leave this early."

"Well I got tired of never seeing the sun anymore except for through these magical windows, which are good for the boss and all, but I miss the real deal. We've got about an hour until sunset so I thought I'd ride home and then go for a walk. I can get some fresh air, feel some real sunlight. We're in this office too much man. When's the last time you and Fred went out?"

Wesley took a moment to think. "I see your point."

"We all need to get out more. I love you guys and all, but I need to see some fresh faces."

"Maybe you'll meet a nice girl on your walk." Wesley said

"Here's hoping," Gunn said "You've got the beautiful and wonderful girl of your dreams working a few floors down, but my options for interoffice dating are Harmony or that scary lady from files and records. I can't remember the last time I got to have a decent flirt."

"You're right." Wesley said "You do need to get out of here."

"And with that, I depart." Gunn left.

…

Lorne watched the sky turn orange out of his window. It was time to go home. He wondered if Fred would tell Wesley tonight. The suspense was killing him. The seven days since he had glimpsed the growing life in her aura had driven him nuts. He wanted to be able to discuss this with everybody, but he couldn't tell a soul. Lorne made his way to his car and hoped he didn't run into Harmony or any of his other gossipy acquaintances. They were always pumping him for information and he couldn't hold it in much longer. If Fred hadn't told Wesley by the morning Lorne was going to have a serious talk with that girl.

…

Harmony knocked on the door to Angel's office and when he didn't answer she gently pushed the door open. Angel was sitting in his chair which was turned to the window. Angel was bathed in moonlight, contemplating. "Can I go home boss? It's late and I-"

"Have a nice night Harmony." Angel whispered

"Thanks," She hesitated "You okay?"

Angel stirred as if he had been roused from a deep slumber. "I was thinking…"

"About?"

He turned around to look at her. "Go home Harmony, get some sleep."

"Okay, you're the boss." She retreated for the elevator. Harmony hummed a song she liked that had been playing a lot on the radio lately. When the door to the elevator opened a beautiful dark-haired woman was standing there waiting for it. Her ruby red lips were less from a natural complexion and more from the bodies of the security guards with holes in their necks Harmony was intimately familiar with. "Hey you're not allowed to do that!" Harmony was outraged that this woman was drinking human blood when Harmony could not. "You are going to be in so much trouble when the boss hears about this. He cut off the head of a guy legal the other day for virgin sacrifice and you just killed a bunch of our employees in one-"

The dark haired woman hit Harmony so hard her eyes watered. Harmony fell to the ground and listened to a gentle purring sound accompanied by delicate footsteps clicking and clacking as the woman's heels entered the elevator. Harmony was dragged from the elevator and unceremoniously deposited on top of the guards. "You're one of ours lovely, so you will lie for only a little while. Go home. The pigs squealing -oink oink – you can't help them." The woman patted Harmony on the head. Harmony got the impression this woman didn't work here.

…

The lobby area outside of Angel's office was deserted when the elevator doors opened and Drusilla stepped out. She stood in her long red and black dress grinning. She looked around and tasted the air. "Oh I'm home daddy. We'll all be a family again, except for grandmother."

…

Spike grinned at the approaching Doyle. "Ello Mate. Got any visions?"

"Yeah," Doyle shivered "This one was bad." Doyle looked freaked out.

"You've seen some pretty bad things friend, what was special about this?"

"There was a woman, a vampire. She was beautiful. Her eyes… hypnotized. She was stalking another woman down a hall. Her victim was screaming for help, but no one came to rescue her. The dark haired woman killed her, and then she said: If only my William were here."

Spike wanted to run, scream, anything. He was paralyzed. Finally he was able to move his mouth a bit. "Drusilla," That unlocked him and he took off running.

…

Angel heard his door open again and sighed. "I told you to go home Harmony."

"I am home daddy." The familiar voice chilled him. It was soft and beautiful. He slowly turned his chair and turned to look at her. She giggled her frightening laugh. "I'm here."

"Why did you come back Dru?" Angel asked

"Because daddy's back. He killed the Angel beast. You're back daddy."

Angel couldn't take his eyes off her. "I'm still Angel."

She smiled as she approached him. "I've missed you daddy."

"Stop!" He tore his gaze away from her. He felt light-headed. "Stop calling me that."

"I saw you. I was so happy. I saw you come back, become one of us again."

"Just because I'm working with Wolfram & Hart doesn't mean I've become Angelus."

"My boy is coming." Drusilla said "He's lost his way."

"Spike?"

"Whip him into shape." Drusilla made a wiping motion. "You love whipping."

Angel opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the sound of footsteps in the hall coming toward him and Drusilla. Before Angel could call out a warning Wesley was already in the office. "Angel are you all right? I heard-" Drusilla grabbed Wesley by the neck and threw him against the wall. The man's windpipe was constricted and he struggled to breathe.

"Drusilla don't!" Angel pleaded as he jumped to his feet

"Just a squeeze," She whispered "Just a bit more pressure and his head pops off like my bad dollies." She laughed again. "I ought to do it now, after what he's done."

Wesley's eyes widened as he tried to get oxygen. Angel stood still in order to not antagonize Drusilla. "He hasn't done anything Dru. Put him down and we can talk."

"You left us daddy, replaced us one by one. Found a pretty substitute for grandmother in the slayer beast. You loved her but couldn't find me or our boy. So you came to a bigger place and replaced mommy again. You found a boy to take William's place and lover for him to take what was mine. I see it daddy. She was mad like me and he craved your approval like our dearest William boy. But now mommy is dead and these two aren't like us anymore. It's time to replace your family again daddy. I'll kill this one and we can start over. You can get the pretty slayer."

"Drusilla please listen to me." Angel said as Wesley tugged uselessly as Drusilla's arm

"I already saw it." She said "You'll come back to me."

"No Dru, and if you kill him I'll have to kill you."

Drusilla dropped Wesley. He fell to his hands and knees gasping. He tried to fill his lungs with air while red bruises stood out angrily on his neck. "I know, but soon everything will be the way it was. We'll be together and you'll laugh about this memory." Drusilla turned to face Angel again and walked up to him. He stared into her bewitching eyes. "We'll laugh together."

"Never," She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him.

He shoved her away. "I haven't forgotten what you did. You killed Darla."

"So did you, twice. Great-grandfather and I had only one each. But we gave birth to the new Darla, the better Darla. You gave birth to the new and better me. Thank you daddy."

Angel felt tears brimming in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Dru. Please forgive me."

"We can't forgive Daddy. We aren't for it."

"I know." He whispered

"Don't be sad."

"Goodbye Drusilla." Angel whispered

Dru turned around to catch Wesley's wrist as he tried to drive a stake into her back. She twisted his wrist and he yelped in pain as the bones broke. Angel picked her up by her waist and dropped her into his desk. A mortal woman's back would have broken. She kicked Angel in the face and then fled the room. Angel started to follow her, but then paused briefly to shoot a glance at Wesley. "Go after her you berk." Wesley insisted "I'll call security and have the building locked down." Angel didn't need any more encouragement to go after the insane murderess.

…

Harmony got up and hesitated. The security team on the ground floor had been utterly obliterated. She figured she should warn Angel, but that wasn't her job really. The best thing for her to do right now was go home and pretend she didn't see anything. Spike came running into the lobby from outside. "Blon- Spike!" She said "What are you doing here?"

Spike examined the carnage. "Did Drusilla do this?"

"Isn't that your ex-girlfriend's name?" Harmony asked in an aggrieved tone

"Harmony focus!" Spike snapped "Was she here?!"

"Who?"

"Drus- Forget it." Spike entered the stairwell.

Harmony rolled her eyes. "I'm going home." She left.

…

Fred left the washroom still feeling queasy. She wondered if Wesley would buy the bad shrimp excuse again. This was getting ridiculous. She headed over to her desk and sat down to look at the numbers again. She believed they were in base seven, but she hadn't yet been able to unlock their meaning or figure out the purpose of such a convoluted counting system. "They tried to warn you." A female voice said "From long ago before our bodies were real."

Fred looked at the beautiful woman who had invaded her lab. "Who are you?"

"I'm your sister."

Fred reached for the phone to call security. "I don't have a sister."

Drusilla shoved Fred's desk away with her vampire strength and speed. Fred stood up in fright and backed up toward the wall. Before she could grab a weapon Drusilla hit Fred in the face, causing Fred to fall to the ground. Fred put her arms up to shield herself and felt Drusilla grab those arms. Drusilla pulled Fred to her feet. "Do you remember the things that ran around in your head? Where did you put them when sanity pushed them away? Did you kill them?"

"Wh-Who are you?" Fred stuttered in fright

"Mustn't ask the same question twice, bad manners."

"What do you want?" Her voice quivered.

"What's so special about you?" Drusilla pressed her face against Fred's neck and sniffed her skin. "You have warm blood in you." Drusilla licked Fred's neck.

Fred felt complete terror. "Please don't kill me." She said "I'm-"

"Breathing for two." Drusilla finished "Your blood keeps you both."

"Please," Fred begged "Just tell me what you want."

Drusilla brushed some hair behind Fred's ear. The vampire ran her fingers up and down Fred's neck. "You look so tasty and you have your own desert." Drusilla giggled.

Fred began to cry. "Don't hurt us, please."

"She won't."

Drusilla looked over her shoulder. "It's my William." She grinned at Spike.

"Spike," Fred's voice was full of relief, but terror also remained. "Help me."

"I will pet, don't worry."

Drusilla let go of Fred and Fred backed away from the vampire. "It's my boy."

"Get out of here Dru." Spike said in a low menacing voice "Or I'll have to kill you."

"You already killed your mummy twice, can you do it three times?"

"Fred get out of here." Spike said

Fred ran for the exit but Drusilla grabbed her forearm and stopped her. "She's for us my William, to share. You can have mommy and I'll drink the baby, maybe later daddy too."

"You're even more daft than I thought if you think that's going to happen." Spike said

"Don't you miss me?" Drusilla asked

"Let her go Dru." Spike demanded "Nothing good will come of this."

"I don't want good. I want vile and dirty." Drusilla pulled Fred in front of her and clutched both of the woman's arms, essentially converting her to a human shield. "So do you my lovely one. You can taste her if you want, I don't mind. She is very pretty." Drusilla sniffed Fred's neck again. "And sweet. I know you think her man isn't good enough for her. Why don't you show her what you have? Maybe she'll like you as much as I do William."

Spike backed away, as if fleeing her words. "Please let her go Drusilla. Whatever you want, it's yours. Just let her go. There's nothing to be gained by killing her." Drusilla shoved Fred toward Spike and he caught her. Drusilla ran past them, into the lab and then out into the building. Fred was shaking in his hands. "Are you all right love?" He asked

"Who was that?" Fred asked

"An old friend, don't worry." He pulled her chair over and helped her sit down. "Did she hurt you?" Spike touched the red mark on Fred's face where Dru had stricken her. "Never mind,"

"You have to stop her." Fred said

"I'm not going to leave you here by yourself."

"Yes you are." Spike turned around and Angel was there. "You're going to help me find Drusilla before she hurts anybody else. Fred lock your office door and don't come out, okay?"

"The door is made of glass." Fred said

"Wolfram & Hart uses high quality security measures, the door will hold."

"Real high quality," Spike said "That'd be why Drusilla got in."

Angel scowled. "Just stay here." He told Fred

"Okay," She whispered "Have you seen Wesley?"

"He's fine." Angel promised Fred "Come on." He told Spike "We're going after her."

…

Drusilla followed the scent of colors. Her ability to see what others could not was as ingrained in her life as any of her senses. "Hello Drusilla," A familiar voice said

"Do you remember why I picked you?" Drusilla asked

"I didn't know you had."

"Grandmother picked the Lindsey boy because he was infatuated with her and she wanted to use him. I picked you because I saw what you would become, my sweet girl."

"What did you see?" Lilah asked as they stood facing each other in the hall

"I saw power, cruelty, ambition, love, pain, and so many contradicting things. You are a very bad girl Lilah." Drusilla grinned at the lawyer. "Full of vile thoughts and emotions."

"That's true." Lilah said

"You hurt the one you love, I like that very much."

"I'm glad you approve." Lilah said "What else do you see?"

"You losing him forever. You trade him for time, but it's less time."

Lilah stared at Drusilla. "Less time than what?"

"I have to go pretty. Give me a kiss for the road?"

"I don't think so." Lilah said "But it was good to see you again."

"Always precious," Drusilla ran away.

…

Angel and Spike stalked the halls looking for the woman they had sired and been sired by respectively. "It must be hard for you to see her again." Angel said "I'm sorry."

Spike looked at Angel with surprise. "Thank you,"

"I remember what it was like when Darla came back."

"It's not seeing Dru again so much, it's seeing me. I look at her and I see William the Bloody, scourge of Europe, likes to drive railroad spikes in people's heads."

"I know we've had our differences, but you're not that man anymore." Angel said

"She thinks I am. She told me to hurt Fred like she thought I would really do it."

"She's crazy." Angel said

"Sure, but she knows things. Why would she think I'd hurt Fred?"

"I don't know." Angel said "Maybe it's best not to think about it."

For a few minutes silence prevailed. "She saw something."

"Dru?" Angel asked

"She thinks I'm in love with Fred. She thinks I want her for myself."

Angel stopped and stared at Spike. "Do you?"

"No," Spike said in an unconvincing voice

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Spike Fred's happy with Wesley."

"_I know_." Spike said in an annoyed tone "I want her to be happy. I couldn't give her any of the things he can and even if I could she's in love with him, not me. I'm fine with that."

"So what is it then?" Angel asked

"Look, sometimes a guy has feelings for a girl that don't really need to be acted upon and he can push them to the side. I love Fred as a friend. She saved me from Pavayne after he almost killed her and I'll never be able to repay her for that. She tried so hard to help me even though she wasn't going to get anything out of it. She's beautiful and…" Spike thought he was starting to get off track. "I know we'd never make sense together in a million years. I'm fine with that, I really am. But that doesn't mean I've never in passing thought about how beautiful and engaging she is. Dru can look in me and see that. She can twist it into something perverse."

Angel took a moment to just look at Spike, taking him in. "Spike you should know-"

"She's pregnant." Spike interjected

Angel jolted. "How did you-"

"Same as you mate." Spike said

They saw Lilah round a corner and approach them. "If you two are done holding hands and talking about your feelings I think you might like to know Drusilla is on the roof."

Angel glared at Lilah. "Unless this is a trick."

Lilah grinned. "Oh you wanted me to lie to you? She's in the basement, happy?"

Angel scowled. "We'll check out the roof, but if you're lying you and I are going to have a conversation." Lilah looked very unimpressed with the threat. "Do you know where-"

Lilah stared at Angel, waiting for him to finish. Angel knew she could tell him where any person in the building was at any time, but he didn't want to ask her here Wesley was after what had happened between them. It felt wrong. "Boss I think your talkie box is broken."

"Do you know where Wesley is?" Angel asked

"Talking to head of security," Lilah said

"Okay, and don't misconstrue that question as me giving you permission to talk to or go near him. It's not." Angel turned to Spike. "Come on, looks like we're headed for the roof."

As they walked toward the stairs Spike questioned Angel. "What happened between her and Percy?" Spike asked "Did she reshelf one of his books improperly?"

"Hey Spike, you know that thing you do where you open your mouth? I hate that."

"Look I'm just here to stop Dru. After that you won't be seeing me anymore."

Angel realized something. "How did you know she was here?"

"A friend told me she was in town." Spike said

"You have friends?" Angel scoffed. "And how did you know she was here specifically?"

It took Spike a moment to answer. "Pavayne showed me images of what he said was the future when he was torturing me. I didn't know if they were real or not. Drusilla was there, and Fred died. It was all confusing, but when I heard Dru was in town I put the pieces together."

Angel stopped. "Pavayne showed you a future where Fred died?"

Spike nodded. "That's why I stuck around, to make sure he was wrong."

"Well from where I'm standing there isn't anything perverse about that."

They stared at the door to the roof. "Dru brought us together." Spike whispered

"She's family." Angel said

"But so are Fred and her future nipper. We have to kill Dru to protect them."

"If you can't do this I'll understand." Angel said "I remember what it was like with Darla and there's no reason for you to go through that. I can take care of it."

"No," Spike said "We have to do it together."

Angel opened the door and they both stepped onto the roof. Drusilla was there waiting for them with a big grin on her face. "My boys!" She threw her arms open for a big hug.

"It's time to go Dru." Spike said "Why not take the quiet way?"

She chuckled. "Oh my dear, dear boys. Have you come to see me off?"

Angel clutched his stake. "Yes Drusilla,"

"I have a parting gift for you." Drusilla ran to the edge of the roof and started to slide down the wall of glass windows. The steel frames cut her flesh and ripped her dress, but a vampire's flesh will grow back and she could get a new dress. Angel and Spike hesitated at the edge of the roof, sharing weary looks. "Bugger all," Spike started sliding after her. Angel was right behind him. Leave it to Dru to think of a creative way to lead the boys on a chase.

…

Wesley entered the lab with a wooden cross sharpened to a point at the end so it could be used as a stake and a glass container of holy water. He went over to Fred's office where she was curled up in the corner clutching her knees. He knocked and she jumped, eyes wide with terror and muscles tense with anxiety. She saw him and got up to open the door. She pulled him into a hug and buried her face in his shoulder. "She was going to kill me." Fred whispered

"Shhh," Wesley put down the bottle of holy water and put his arm around her, gripping her shoulder. "Angel will catch Drusilla." Wesley said "She won't hurt you again."

"It's stuff like this that confuses me." Fred rambled "I hate this. I hate living like this and I hate lying to you. She almost killed me and I never would have told you the truth."

"What are you talking about?"

"She knew. I don't know how, but she did. She saw the life inside me."

Wesley stared at her. He was still holding her so their faces were very close together. He could see the wet splotches on her face where tears had saturated her skin. "The life inside-?"

"I'm pregnant." She said, not quite believing she actually had "I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long but I thought if I didn't tell you it wasn't real. I know it's stupid and childish and a million other words that mean immature, but I thought it was like Schrödinger's cat. As long as I didn't tell you the truth you could have any reaction, but once it was out there everything was final and I would have to face this. It wasn't real until I told you, but it was and I almost died without ever telling you the truth." She buried her face in his chest and she wept. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't say that." He begged "You don't have anything to apologize for. I'm sorry for not seeing what was happening. I knew something was going on and I did nothing."

"I lied to you." She said "You asked me questions and I brushed you off."

"That doesn't matter." He said "I can't even imagine what this must have been like for you to go through by yourself, nobody knowing what you were dealing with."

She quelled a feeling of guilt. "Well a couple of people know."

"Oh," Wesley tried and failed to disguise his hurt feelings.

"I didn't tell anyone." She explained "Angel and Spike have their vampire senses and Lorne could see the baby's aura. I think the senior partners told Lilah, they know everything."

"Lilah knows?" Wesley found the concept distasteful.

"I know, freaks me out too."

"What do you want to do?" He asked

She felt the tears try to start up again and she restrained them. "I'm afraid to tell you how I feel. I want to tell you that after all the pain and horror we've seen the idea that you and I created something good, something that comes from love, is really exciting. I want to tell you that I'm overwhelmed because we never discussed this before and I didn't consider that this might happen after we took all the standard precautions. I want to tell you I'm terrified of what kind of world a kid gets to live in these days. I want to tell you that these last couple of months have been so terrifying because every day I feel a little bit closer to this baby. I think I already love this baby, which is crazy I know, but I do. This baby is part me and part you and I already love whoever this baby is. I want to tell you all of these things and all the other feelings I've been having, but I can't. I can't because I'm afraid you'll say you never wanted kids and this doesn't change that or worse, you'll lie to make me feel good and resent me forever for trapping you in a life you never wanted. I'm scared to death of that." She finally paused long enough to take a breath and she felt her throat lock up. She couldn't say another word.

"I could never resent you." Wesley whispered "I love you."

"That doesn't mean you want to have a kid with me." Fred said

"It doesn't mean I don't either." He pointed out

"But you don't, I can tell." She pulled away from him.

"How can you tell that?"

"I'm not a big believer in woman's intuition, but there is such a thing as a pregnant woman's intuition and I can see it in your face. You don't want to have a kid with me."

"That's not true." Wesley protested "That's not what you're seeing."

"Well what am I seeing?" She demanded

"I want to be honest with you." He said

"So be honest."

"I…" He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn't. "I'm a little overwhelmed right now too. I'm a lot overwhelmed actually. Can I have a moment to process this?"

The sound of shattering glass filled the room and glass shards rained down. Drusilla had come in through the window. Wesley grabbed Fred to pull her behind him but Drusilla was too fast and caught the other woman by the neck. Drusilla held tight onto Fred and smiled at Wesley as though they were making polite conversation. "We'll be friends again." Drusilla said

Wesley unscrewed the cap from the bottle of holy water but when he tried to douse Dru in the water she used Fred to block the splash. The water was harmless to Fred, but Drusilla was uninjured. Wesley picked up the stake while Drusilla tightened her hold on Fred. "If you kill her you know Angel and Spike won't stop until they hunt you down and destroy you." Wesley tried to figure out a way to stake Drusilla without harming Fred. There didn't appear to be one.

"Why would I take her away from daddy?" Drusilla asked "He loves her so."

"You'll let her go then?" Wesley asked, bemoaning the futility of trying to reason with a madwoman "You're not going to hurt her?" Fred locked eyes with him, her terror was infectious.

Drusilla let Fred go and ran at Wesley in one fluid motion. Wesley tried to stake her but he was too slow. She pinned him to the wall and whispered a quiet prophecy to him. "You've got a ticking time bomb in your head. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. It winds and it winds and there's no hope for you. It will go boom and you won't be anymore. No more love. No more life. No more anything for little Wesley. You've got a ticking time bomb in your head and I ear it go tick as it waits for its time. Tick. Tick." She shoved him and then took off running.

Seconds after she had gone Angel and Spike ran into the room. "I bleeding told you what a bloody stupid idea it was to go off the roof!" Spike shouted "But do you listen?! No, the stupid git has to be all _Die Hard_ and leap after her instead of taking the bleeding stairs!"

"You were the first one to go after her!" Angel protested "It was your idea!"

"Well it was a bloody stupid one and you should have talked me out of it!"

Angel suppressed his bubbling rage. "Let's just go get her."

"Fine!" Spike stormed off.

Angel took a moment before following Spike. "Are you guys okay?"

"Fine." Fred said

Angel looked at Wesley's broken wrist. Well it had been broken anyway. Now it looked just fine. Angel felt a deep disquiet. "Hold tight." Angel went after Spike.

For a few moments neither of them spoke. The uncomfortable silence got heavier with each second, pressing down on them, smothering them. Wesley tried to think about what Fred had told him, but too many thoughts were whirling around in his head. Few of them were pleasant in any way. He looked at her. She was searching his eyes. "Just say it." She said

"Say what?" He whispered

"You don't want to be a dad."

"I'm not going to lie to you." He said

"So say it." She said

"I never thought about it much. Having kids just never occurred to me, but if I ever did think about it you're right that I didn't want to have them." Wesley picked up two chairs that had toppled to the ground in the struggle. He gestured for her to sit down and when she did he sat across from her. He leaned forward in his chair and looked down at his hands, which were clutched tight. Fred didn't know why but she felt scared all of a sudden, not of him but she wasn't sure what of exactly. "I never wanted to be a dad, but not because I don't like kids or I don't want the responsibility. Actually that's it exactly, I don't want the responsibility. I don't want a child to depend on me for all the important things in life because I know I would fail that child. I don't know how to be a dad Fred, I have no idea."

"Wesley no one knows what to do at first."

"People say that, but it isn't true. You grew up in a good home with people who love you and they taught you how to express love in a healthy way. I never had that. I don't know how to nurture or how to… I don't know anything about good parenting, I've never seen it firsthand."

She stared at him. "You never talk about your parents." She whispered

"There's a reason for that."

"Maybe you should start."

He chuckled without mirth. "I'd rather not."

"Wesley," She reached out and took his hand. "I want to help you."

"I don't want your help." He said listlessly

She was stung by this. "Why not?"

"My past is my burden to bear, and I never wanted it to touch you."

"But I love you. Your pain is mine too." She said

"I never wanted that." He said

"Would you rather I didn't care?"

"I don't know."

She groaned in frustration. "You're doing it again. You're shutting me out. Every time something bad happens to you, you shut everybody out. You want to keep your pain buried inside, but that's where it does the most damage." She touched his face to get him to look at her.

He did. "But it can only hurt me."

"That's not true. Wesley we all care about you and can tell when you go away. We worry about you. You're our family." She leaned forward and kissed him deeply, passionately.

"I'm sorry." He said

"Just tell me the truth." She said "Tell me what happened."

He looked away again. "I really liked birds when I was a kid. My father would send me up to my room without supper quite often so bird watching was a good way to occupy myself on those lonely afternoons. I had this really nice pair of binoculars. I had one of those books for identifying the different species and a notepad for keeping track of my sightings and the migratory patterns I observed. I'm a very detail-oriented person so even when I was very young I was good at record keeping. There was a robin's nest in a tree not far from our house and the robins would often fly by my window on the way back to their nest. I kept records of the times I saw them and I noted when their eggs hatched. So when one day I found a dead bird on my windowsill with a still red chest I knew its babies were starving in that tree. I don't know why it flew into my window, but whatever the reason it was dead and its children would soon be as well. I know it was just a stupid bird, but those birds meant something to me. I was just a little kid and I liked seeing their routine, the care they gave their young. So I did something very wrong that I knew I wasn't supposed to do even at that young age. I snuck into my father's study and I stole, borrowed, a scroll with a resurrection spell on it. Those spells are dangerous and there was no excuse for what I did. I tried to use the spell and my father caught me."

"What did he do?"

She waited almost a full minute for him to answer. "He broke my arm."

Fred gasped. "What?" She asked in a whispered shout

"He didn't mean to, but he didn't particularly care that he had."

"Who would do something like that to their own child?" She asked

"My father," She stared at him. "So now you see why I wouldn't be a very good father."

"I don't see that at all." She said

"Fred-"

She reached out and put both hands on either side of his face. "Listen to me for a second and hear what I'm saying. Don't be coming up with counter arguments, just listen. You are a kind, brave, loyal, loving, smart, funny, innovative, wonderful person and you are not your dad."

"We're more alike than you know."

"I don't care about that, or him. I love _you_."

He stared at her. "Do you want to hear something strange?"

"Yes,"

"You make me feel like another person, a better person. I know we didn't plan for this to happen, but maybe this is a good thing. Maybe we can make it be one. We can be a family."

"Are you sure? If you don't-"

He cut her off with a kiss. "I love you." He whispered


	8. Destiny

Angel and Spike sat in Angel's car watching the sunrise. "I'll admit." Spike said "This is pretty amazing. I never thought I'd see this again, never thought it could be possible."

Spike reached out and touched the warm glass. Angel saw the boyish expression of wonder on Spike's face. "Can I tell you something?" Angel asked his fellow vampire

"I'm glad we didn't catch her too." Spike said

"We're pretty awful huh?" Angel asked

"Just selfish. Everybody has flaws mate."

"I need you to do something for me."

Spike gave Angel a skeptical look. "Is that so?"

"It's about Fred."

Spike got serious. "What is it?"

Angel had to be careful about how much he said so as to not give anything away. "Fred and Wes are two of the smartest people I know." He reconsidered this. "They are hands down the two smartest people I know. Do you really think they can't figure out birth control?"

"Well sometimes all the precaution in the world isn't enough."

"And sometimes there's more to a situation than meets the eye."

"You think this could be a mystical pregnancy?" Spike asked

"Do the math. Fred got pregnant right around the day we took over Wolfram & Hart. For all we know it was the exact day. The only female member of my team got pregnant the day we arrived at Wolfram & Hart. You don't think that's fishy? Because I sure as hell do."

"Well why not ask Ms. knows everything what's going on?" Spike asked

"She said the kid is a healthy normal baby."

"So what's the problem then?"

"The problem is that I trust Lilah about as far as I can throw a garbage truck."

"That's not a lot." Spike said

"It's not at all. I don't know who she's playing for. One minute I think it's the senior partners, one minute I think it's herself, and the next I have no idea what's going on with her."

"You never told me what went down with her and Percy. You got all huffy."

"Will you quit calling him that?" Angel said in an aggravated tone

"Look I'm not trying to steal his girl, that doesn't mean I have to like the git."

Angel sighed. "You don't even know him."

"And I don't particularly want to either. Where did you find that ponce?"

Angel looked at the sun. It hurt and that hurt felt so good because it was a normal not supposed to look at the sun hurt, not flesh igniting hurt. "Drusilla said he was just like you."

"When did she say that?" Spike sounded extremely offended

"She accused me of some interesting things."

"Like what?"

Angel thought back to his office. "When I was Angelus I kept the company of other vampires not because I had affection for them, but because an artist needs an audience to laud his works. Am I the same way now? Am I just a vain man who needs to be praised?"

Spike considered this. "Yep,"

Angel turned to glare at him. "Screw you Spike."

"You asked!"

Angel rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation."

"Fred does remind me of Dru." Spike said "It might be part of the reason I like her so much, and don't misconstrue that. Dru was never one for pretense. She was as dotty as pointillism, but she was who she was. She wasn't ashamed. She would say the most beautiful things that made no bleeding sense, but they could be whatever you wanted. The best thing about her was how blissfully unaware she was. I wish I could have seen her world, it must be bonkers."

Angel remembered a room in the Hyperion. He thought about a young woman who was frail and vulnerable, who practically worshipped him. She said nonsense that made him smile while showering him with adoration. But Fred wasn't that person anymore. Maybe she had been a little bit like Drusilla, but he had never realized that consciously. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Angel thought about Spike in the old days. What was it Dru had said? Spike was always after his approval. Well that was true back then. Neither Spike nor Wesley were like that now, but they had both been in the beginning. They had both done stupid things that let Angel/Angelus feel superior. They were both English. Angel didn't want to think about this anymore. "Fuck!" He slammed his hands against the steering wheel. He stared out the window.

Spike turned to look at Angel. The younger vampire raised an eyebrow and stared in disbelief at his grandsire. "Are you all right?" Spike asked in a patronizing voice

"She's got me all messed up." Angel said

"No kidding," Said Spike "I thought I was supposed to be the hot mess."

"Look, are you going to help me or not?" Angel asked

"What do you want me to do, spy on Fred?"

"Something like that, I prefer to think of it as looking after her."

"I was thinking now that I've stopped what Pavayne showed me I might take a trip, maybe see my old homeland again or visit a few friends. Buffy still doesn't know I'm alive."

"So call her." Angel said "Fred's not safe yet."

…

Fred's eyes fluttered open. Sunlight was streaming into the bedroom. "What time is it?"

She felt warm lips on her neck. She grinned. "It's late." The lips traveling down her neck told her "We're late for work. I suspect the boss will be very angry with us."

"Why didn't the alarm go off?" Fred asked

"It did, I shut it off. I didn't want to wake you up."

"You're sort of missing the point of an alarm aren't you honey?"

"But you look so beautiful when you're asleep." Wesley said

She rolled over and faced him. "What about when I'm awake?"

"Even more so,"

She kissed him. "You're a flatterer."

"Sorry," He kissed her neck again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Is it about the baby?"

"Um-hum," He mumbled

"Go ahead,"

"Do you know if the baby is a boy or a girl?" He asked

"Does that make a difference?"

"I was just curious." Wesley said "And we have to pick a name."

"This pregnancy isn't half over. We have plenty of time for perusing baby name books."

"You know you don't look pregnant."

"Well I will." Fred said "Don't worry. Soon I'll be fat and gross."

"You could never be gross. So you don't know?"

"No; if you could pick, what would you pick?"

"Is this a test?"

She moved closer to him in order to feel his body heat. "It's just a question."

"Whatever made you happy."

She rolled her eyes. "Just answer the question."

He chuckled. "I'd choose a girl."

"Why?"

He kissed her. "We should go to work."

She kissed him back. "We will eventually."

…

"Where are Wesley and Fred?" Harmony asked Gunn as he flipped through the file she had handed him "They're usually really punctual. Wesley's all British and Fred's just… Fred."

"They had quite an ordeal last night Harmony." Gunn said

Harmony snorted. "Psycho-bitch hit me too. I didn't get the day off."

"They'll be here, they're just sleeping in. And try not to mention the psycho bitch in front of Angel or Spike. They're still upset about the whole thing. Just pretend everything's normal."

The elevator opened and Wes got out. "I don't think they were sleeping." Harmony said

"Why do you say that?" Gunn asked

Harmony discreetly tapped her nose as Wesley approached. "Sorry I'm late."

"I heard about the party last night, are you okay man?" Gunn asked "How's Fred?"

"She's fine. We're fine. We've all been attacked by vampires before."

"I got turned into one." Harmony said cheerily

Gun and Wes shared an uncomfortable look. "Well tell me if you need anything."

"Thanks." Wesley said "I have some work to catch up on, I'll see you."

…

Sparrow sighed in exasperation as Knox flung the door to Sparrow's office open and rushed in. "He's here!" Knox sat down, a bundle of nerves. "It's time."

"We talked about this." Sparrow said nonchalantly "You barging into my office,"

"It's _time_. We need to get going."

"I'm ready." Sparrow said "Go collect our quarry."

"You've got it all set up?"

"Yes, go."

…

Fred clicked send on the encrypted inter-office E-mail and then picked up the phone to call Wesley and tell him her work on his code was in his inbox. She saw Knox approach her door and then knock. She waved him in. "Hey, how did the hemoglobin experiment go?" She asked

"Good, the iron levels of the pigs increased just like you posited. We may yet develop a cure for anemia at our evil law firm. I heard a vampire got into the building last night."

"Just another day at Wolfram & Hart." She said "Was there something you needed?"

"Yeah, legal sent over a request for a copy of our books."

"What are we being audited or something?"

Knox shrugged. "They just said they need them asap."

Fred sighed. "I guess I won't be leaving this office for a while."

Well that was the idea. Knox left quickly. Fred picked up her phone to call Wes about the numbers, but the phone was dead. She shrugged. She'd call maintenance later.

…

Wesley heard a knock at the door and told whoever it was to enter. Knox rushed in looking flustered. "Hey you need to get down to Dr. Sparrow's office like right now."

"Why?"

"Well Fred and I were in there fixing a broken machine for him and she got all woozy and collapsed. Dr. Sparrow is looking her over, but she said she wanted to see you."

Wesley looked alarmed. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah she's okay. I mean I think she's okay. I'm not a doctor."

Wesley got up to follow Knox. "Should I alert medical?"

"Doc Sparrow is the best in the biz. He can handle it, let's go."

The two men walked to the elevator and were observed only by Harmony, who was at her desk pretending to work. Lilah wasn't anywhere nearby, but she knew where they were going and what was set to happen. She thought about what Drusilla had said. "Less time than what?"

…

Dr. Sparrow clutched the syringe in his hand. He heard the door to his operating room open and then saw Knox lead their prey in. The doctor had jammed the syringe into Wesley's neck before he was even aware of the doctor's presence. Wesley's hit the ground like the sack of meat the senior partners thought he was. Knox stared at the body. "That was anticlimactic."

"Would you have preferred him to struggle?"

Knox held up his thumb and pointer finger a millimeter apart. "Little bit,"

Sparrow rolled his eyes. "Hook him up before he wakes up. We're on a schedule."

…

Lilah stormed past Harmony's desk. "Somebody's in a mood." Harmony mumbled

Lilah whirled around and started to tear into the blond vampire. "What did you just say to me you little bitch? If you want to speak do so to my face. Go on, I'm captivated."

"Oh fuck you." Harmony said "You've been nothing but a bitch to everybody in the building since you got here. Nobody likes you. They think you're scary and gross."

Lilah smirked. "I know you stupid twat. I know everything. I know everything that happens in this Goddamned building! I'm not just being profane, this building is damned."

"I know. It's not like that's news."

"The woman whose body you stole is dead. You have her personality and memories, but you're just an imitator. When you die even hell will deny you. You. Are. Nothing." Lilah barked

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Harmony asked "Did you get that stick in your ass rammed even further up or are you just bitter because you're dead and nobody wants you?"

"Maybe I'll take the stick out and stake you with it." Lilah said

Harmony stood up. "Bring it on bitch."

Lilah laughed. "You're going to fight me?"

"Is the big bad dead girl afraid?" Harmony asked

"You need a reality check whore." Lilah said

The door to Angel's office flew open. "What's going on?!"

Harmony pointed at Lilah. "She's being a psycho."

Angel scowled. "I don't need this right now Lilah. Take a walk."

"You don't get to order me around. The same puppet master pulls our strings." Lilah said

Angel narrowed his eyes. "You're up to something."

"Not a damn thing." She said bitterly "I'm just the liaison. I do nothing."

Spike followed Angel out of the office. "Why don't I believe that?" Spike asked

"You were an accident vampire." Lilah said "You shouldn't exist. The thing that kept you alive was meant to slaughter our enemy. It didn't work. You're a failed experiment."

"Oh, I'm all broke up inside." Spike said sarcastically

"Enemy? Not enemies?" Angel asked

"The senior partners have many, but one they need dead _now_."

Angel glared at her. "Why did you pick a fight with Harmony?"

"Who gives a fuck about Harmony?" Lilah shouted

"Um, right here." Harmony said

"Tell me what you did." Angel said

"Nothing, I did nothing. Don't you understand? This is my punishment."

"Working for your nemesis." Spike said "I can see that."

Lilah rolled her eyes. "He's stupid too."

"Lilah," Angel said "Who do the senior partners want dead?"

"_Her_. They gave you this place as a reward for killing _her_. Do you really think they haven't been planning her death from the beginning? Did you think it would be free?!"

"Ouch with the screaming." Harmony touched her ear.

"Shut up Harmony!" Lilah said

Gunn entered the room. "What's going on?"

"Lilah lost her mind." Harmony explained

Lilah turned to face Gunn and slapped him. "Hey!" Angel shouted

"Was it worth it?" Lilah asked

Gunn touched a drop of blood hanging from his split lip. "Who was it?" He whispered

"Who was what?" Spike asked softly

"Figure it out. I'm done hanging out with you losers." Lilah vanished.

"Wow! Did you know she could do that?" Harmony asked

Angel headed toward the other office on this hall. Wesley's office was empty. "Do either of you know where Wes went?" Angel asked Spike and Gunn

"I saw him leave with Knox." Harmony said

"What did she mean 'was it worth it'?" Spike asked Gunn

Gunn looked away. "I don't know."

"Figure it out." Angel said "_Now_."

…

Lilah stood in the deserted hall. She leaned against the wall and then slid to the floor. She was weeping before she even came to a stop. She felt so pathetic and weak. She had done so many bad things and she knew where she stood. That wasn't what upset her. She didn't want him to die and she didn't know why. She didn't know why she should care. She stood up and wiped the tears she shouldn't be able to cry away. There was nothing she could do. The senior partners would send her right back to hell if she interfered. She started walking in a direction she thought was random. It didn't take her long to realize where she was going. She should stop. She should go somewhere else and rip someone apart like she had Harmony. That had been fun.

…

Wesley opened his eyes and tried to get off the cold steel table. He was strapped down and completely immobile. "What the hell?" He mumbled "What is this?"

"I have a confession to make." Wesley's blurry vision cleared to reveal Knox.

"Oh come on," Sparrow said "Not the Bond thing, you can't pull it off."

"What's a murder without a few movie clichés?" Knox asked

"What are you doing?" Wesley asked

"You don't remember." Knox said as he fiddled with some knobs and dials on a machine full of a viscous pale yellow fluid "But you were once host to a god, a powerful one at that."

"As opposed to a weak god," Sparrow mocked Knox

"I think you've mistaken me for somebody else." Wesley said

"No mistake," Sparrow interjected

"No," Knox said "You've got something in you that's very dangerous to the senior partners. We're going to destroy it, and in the process of doing so destroy you as well."

"I'm not what you think." Wesley protested

"Oh no," Sparrow said "No you're just a normal guy who gets shot in the chest and then magically heals, who can get a girl knocked up the first time he has sex with her when she's on the pill, and who I could stab in the heart without doing a bit of damage. Just a normal guy,"

"I-" Sparrow cut Wesley off by stabbing him in the chest. Wesley cried out in pain, but when Sparrow removed the knife the flesh neatly knit itself back together. "Impossible,"

"Don't tell me you're this dense." Knox said "That you didn't realize something was up."

"I would remember if what you said is true." Wesley said "You made a mistake."

"Well we're going to kill you anyway." Knox said "We already went through a lot of trouble to get this fancy machine and between you and me I really hate you."

"What did I ever do to you?" Wesley asked

"He's got a crush on the girl." Sparrow explained "Like everyone else in the building."

Knox chuckled. "I'll let you in on a secret." Knox said before lowering his voice to a conspiring whisper "I'm the one who spiked the punch. I wanted to have some fun with your girlfriend before she got all chubby and such with your hell spawn. Didn't work out,"

Wesley struggled against the restraints. "You're sick."

"Nah," Knox said "Just evil."

"Not that you're one to talk." Sparrow said

"Oh yeah," Knox said "So many immoral things you've done."

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked

"Well seeing as how you're about to die, no harm in telling you." Knox said

"Shut up." All three men turned their heads to get a look at the beautiful dead woman who had entered the room. "This isn't a job that requires incessant yammering. Get on with it."

"Yes Ms. Morgan." Sparrow said humbly

"Lilah," Wesley said in a voice full of hate

"I didn't know you were going to be here for this." Knox said

"I have to make sure you two don't screw up." Lilah explained

Sparrow picked up two needles that connected back to the machine through a line of rubber tubing. "We're ready Ms. Morgan." Sparrow said "Should I commence?"

Lilah pulled a gun out from inside her jacket. She fired a bullet into Sparrow's forehead before he had even realized what she was doing. "Holy shit!" Knox said "You killed him."

Lilah turned around and pointed the gun at Knox. "Untie him."

…

Gunn stared at Angel, Spike, and Harmony. "I made a deal with Dr. Sparrow."

"The guy who gave you the legal upgrade?" Angel asked

"Yeah," Gunn said "It was fading and he fixed it."

"In exchange for what?" Spike asked

"I had to help him get a box through customs. That was all."

"What was in the box?" Angel asked in a cold voice

"I don't know. I didn't ask. I've helped so many people with this-" Angel was already walking away toward Sparrow's office. Spike followed his fellow vampire. Harmony and Gunn watched them go. Gunn felt like his insides were melting. He saw Harmony pick up her phone and start to dial. "Who are you calling?" He asked listlessly

"Fred, she told me when Angel storms off all emotional I'm supposed to call her."

"Great,"

"You really screwed up huh?" Harmony asked

"Yeah," He whispered

…

Knox stared at the woman, petrified. "What are you doing? This wasn't part of the plan."

"You're a genius." Lilah said dryly "Now," She cocked her gun. "Do you want to die?"

Knox put his hands in the air. "We were just doing what the partners said."

"I know." Lilah said "It's a shame such a wretched man had to die. Now do you want to join your friend in collecting the standard Wolfram & Hart retirement package or not so much?"

Knox started to release Wesley from his restraints. Knox had just untied the last one when Wesley socked him in the jaw. The scientist fell to the ground, out cold. Wesley stood up and stared at Lilah. "Is this some kind of trick or elaborate plan?" He asked

In answer she turned the gun on him. "This probably won't kill you." She said

"Probably?" He asked

"The senior partners will punish me for this. They really wanted you dead." The door to the room burst open and two vampires entered. Lilah evaded Angel as he tried to grab her arm and confiscate her weapon. She kept her gun trained on her former lover. "I'm not going back to hell because of you people." She said "So either help me or I'll undo what I did."

"What are-" Angel noticed the dead Sparrow and unconscious Knox. "What happened?"

"She killed him." Wesley said "She saved my life for some inexplicable reason."

Spike and Angel stared at the dead lawyer. "It's true." Lilah said

"So you expect us to believe you've undergone a transformation?" Angel asked

Lilah pointed at the machine. "That machine would have pulled Ill-"

"Shut up!" Angel shouted

"Illyria?" Wesley asked "What does she have to do with this? She's dead."

"In a manner of speaking." Lilah said "But we've all died before, and here we are."

"That's enough." Angel said in a low threatening voice

"You're right it is." Lilah said "Because I'm about to be sent back. So quid pro quo Angel, I saved Wesley, now you save me. I shouldn't be damned by my lone two good deeds."

"What is she yammering on about?" Spike asked

"I couldn't save you even if I wanted to." Angel said

"I can." A hollow voice said from behind them

Angel turned to look at Gunn. "Haven't you done enough today?"

"I can stop the senior partners from sending Lilah back to hell. In return she can tell us everything she knows about their plans for us. We'd be insane not to take that opportunity."

"Unless this is a trick to make us trust her." Wesley said

"You'll never trust me." Lilah said "An attempt to make you do so would be futile."

"Yes it would." Angel said

"So you're just going to let them send me back?!" Lilah demanded

"Well let's count off all the horrible things you've done to me and my friends over the years and then tell me I'm being unreasonable. We can start with the time you hired a rogue slayer to murder me and include all the devastation that incurred. Then we can move on to the time your buddy put Cordy in the hospital mental ward, blew up my office with Wesley inside, and killed the oracles. Next we'll discuss the stunt you and yours pulled with Darla. You nearly drove me mad. Let's not forget what you did to Bethany, you hired men to rape her so you could get a new hired gun. You tried to frame me for murder. You were in on having Darla turned after she was ready to go in peace. You ran that scam on a teen homeless shelter. You gave Cordelia those fake visions that almost killed her in order to get a misogynistic creep out of hell who wreaked havoc on my city and terrorized my friends. You-" He stopped himself from mentioning the Conner stuff just in time. Angel mentally skipped over the contents of the mind wipe. "And I can't leave out the fact that you're a rapist and a psychologically manipulative bitch."

"Wow," Spike said "That's a lot for one lifetime."

"Did I leave anything out?" Angel asked

"First of all," Lilah said "I killed Billy, so that shouldn't count. I didn't personally summon Vocah, so that's not my fault either. Bethany has nothing to do with you. The thing with the homeless shelter is the same thing as Gunn putting all of those companies out of business to run this branch. He has unemployed millions of people. And I'd like to point out that one of the 'innocent' victims of my heinous crimes is the guy **whose life I just saved**!" She shouted

"So much of this is lost on me." Spike said

"Angel," Gunn whispered "We should save her."

Wesley's response was unexpected. "He's right. It's not for us to decide whose soul is or isn't worth saving. The tortures the senior partners will put her through are something most of us can't comprehend. Angel are you prepared to condemn someone to an eternity of suffering?"

Angel frowned. "Just because she saved your life doesn't undo the rest."

"Of course it doesn't." Wesley said "Nothing ever can. Saving her life doesn't mean we've forgiven her unforgivable crimes, but it is the right thing to do and she would be useful."

Lilah took on a tone Angel had never heard from her before. "Please Angel, I don't want to go back. You've been there, you know. It's so horrible and it never stops for a second."

Angel scoffed. "Maybe you should have thought of that before-"

"Before I saved your friend's life?" She asked

Angel scowled. "We'll help you."

…

Fred ran towards Dr. Sparrow's office. She had no idea what was going on, she only knew what Harmony had told her. A man in a suit blocked her way. He didn't look familiar, but Fred supposed she couldn't know everyone who worked here by sight. However this was the kind of man she would remember even if she'd only seen him for a second. He was dressed in an immaculate suit and he had a cruel grin. "Hello little girl." He said

"Excuse me, I need to get by." Fred said

"I'm looking for Lilah Morgan." The man said

"I don't know where she is." Fred said "Do you work here?"

"Very soon," The man said

"Well you should have a visitor's pass. Security can-"

He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air. She gasped for air and clawed at his hands. "I need to find Lilah Morgan. The senior partners are a bit cross with her right now."

Fred tried to breathe and failed. The man dropped her the ground where she fell in a gasping heap. She touched her stomach out of instinctual concern. "Who are you?"

"My name is Marcus Hamilton. I am the new liaison to the senior partners."

"What did Lilah do?" Fred backed away into the wall, still on the ground.

"She refused to obey. If you try to taze me with the device you are discreetly reaching for I'll kick you right in the gut." Hamilton promised "Now where can I find your boss?"

Fred removed her hand from her pocket. She didn't want to help this man, but the cool confidence with which he threatened her was terrifying. "I think he's in Dr. Sparrow's office."

"Morgan probably is too." Hamilton said "Thank you for your cooperation."

Fred watched him walk away and when he was gone she ran back to the lab to make a phone call. She needed to warn Angel as well as find out what the hell was going on.

…

Gunn held out the sheaf of papers to Lilah while Spike tied up Knox. "You know where to sign." Gunn said "These will put you in Angel's custody so the partners can't send you away."

"How does that work exactly?" Angel asked

"The senior partners own Lilah's soul." Gunn said "It's a company asset. What you're doing is basically taking custody of that asset, tying it to this branch. There's a bunch of complicated legal stuff to it, but what it boils down to is sign this piece of paper."

Angel took the paper. "What's to stop the senior partners from ignoring this?"

"They can't." Lilah said "They always follow the rules. They're big on rules."

"Right," Angel started to sign. "All this does is save Lilah?"

"Yeah," Gunn said "What else would it do?"

"This is a lot of paperwork." Angel said

"I wrote it up myself, this is a complicated dealing."

"Like your last one?" Angel asked

Gunn stared at Angel. "I made a mistake."

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked "What happened?"

The door to the room opened. A tall man in a neat suit entered. "Hurry," Gunn said in a frantic tone "You need to sign this right now."

Angel hesitated a moment and then signed the paper. Gunn grabbed it and then returned it to its place in the pile of papers. Gunn met Hamilton in the middle of the room as the stern man approached the terrified Lilah. Gunn held the papers out to Hamilton. Angel wondered why the guy in the fancy suit didn't just tear them up. He wondered what the point was to all of these senseless rules. The stern man took the papers and read through them in seconds. "Everything appears to be in order as long as you have these filed within twenty-four hours."

"So we're good?" Gunn asked

"We're fantastic." Hamilton told Gunn "Marcus Hamilton," Hamilton stuck out his hand to the confused Gunn. "It's so good to meet you councilor." After shaking the reluctant Gunn's hand Hamilton walked up to Lilah. "Sign here." He handed her a piece of paper. "You'll be relinquishing your position to me and confirming the agreement you made with Angel."

Lilah sighed and then signed the paper. "This sucks."

"That's why it pays to have your emotions removed." Hamilton grinned at the scowling woman and then approached Angel with an extended hand. "I'm your new liaison."

The phone rang and Angel made a point of turning his back on Hamilton's handshake in order to answer it. "Yeah he's here Fred. Yeah we- What?" Angel turned to look at Hamilton.

"Is there a problem?" Hamilton asked

"I'll call you back." Angel hung up the phone. "If you're going to be my new liaison we're going to have to set up some ground rules. I'm in charge here and I expect you to operate with that understanding, okay?" Hamilton nodded, but Angel was already continuing. "You are not to touch any of my people, ever, under any circumstances. Is that clear?" Angel asked

"Crystal, I won't touch them."

"There aren't going to be any more murder conspiracies going on under my nose. In fact there will be no more conspiracies at all. I expect you to be straightforward with me."

"Absolutely, you're the boss." Hamilton said

"And I want all that in writing." Angel said; he'd learned a few things working here

"I'll draw up the paperwork." Gunn said

"This is going to be great." Hamilton said "I'll meet you in your office." He told Gunn

They watched the large man vanish. He had a presence that seemed to almost weigh down on their eyes and the vacuum he left in his wake was loud. Angel shook his head to clear his muddled thoughts. "Gunn, what the hell happened? How could you get involved with this?"

Everyone was staring at the lawyer who answered only with: "I have to go."

Angel watched him go and then turned to Wes. "Are you okay?"

"Why does everybody keep trying to kill me?" Wesley asked

Angel gave him a wry smile. "You get used to it."

"That wasn't a rhetorical question." Wes said "You hid something from me."

Angel froze. "What did they tell you?"

"How about you just be honest with me?" Wes asked "Instead of trying to think of a plausible explanation for whatever they said. Tell me the truth Angel, I think I deserve that."

Angel found that ironic. "You deserve the truth? Why do you assume the truth is anything other than a punishment? You don't deserve the truth, none of us do. It's too cruel."

Lilah snickered. "For who?"

"Shut up Lilah." Angel said

"Something is happening to me." Wesley said "I need to know what it is."

Angel grimaced. "Wes do you trust me?"

"You've been lying to me, to all of us, for months. Should I trust you?"

"I'm asking you to just forget about all of this, please."

Wesley stared at Angel, incredulous. "How can I?"

"Because you're so good at forgetting things you don't want to remember. You've been doing it your whole life. I'm telling you that this is the one time that's the healthy thing to do."

Wesley stared at Angel. "What?"

"I have to go interview our new… prisoner guest person." Angel said "So you just decide what you have to do. Come on Lilah." Angel left the room with Lilah close at his heels.

…

Lorne watched Gunn trudge into his office. The man looked broken. Gunn sat down and sighed heavily. "I'm not in the mood to sing, but if I have to I guess I can do that."

Lorne slowly shook his head. "No friend, you're past singing. Your aura is screaming."

Gunn put his face in his hands. "What did I do?"

…

"It wasn't his fault." Angel stared at Lilah waiting for clarification. They were in his office discussing what had happened. "It's all about you prophecy boy. Only you and yours can bring the baddies in, and only you and yours can send them off. Only the people in your life can affect the fate of an old one. To kill Illyria someone in your group had to be culpable, even if they had no idea what was happening. That's why we wanted you, well Angelus, to do it; it would have been a direct connection. Gunn signing that paper would have worked as well though if I hadn't interfered. The partners manipulated him a lot to get him to sign that paper and he didn't even know what it was going to do. This is our specialty Angel."

"I remember." Angel said bitterly "Now tell me the real reason I'm here."

Lilah smiled. "The senior partners want you to save the world."

Angel scowled. "I'm serious."

"So am I." Lilah said "They want you to kill the other old ones and clear the way for them. The prophecies say only you can defeat the old ones and the senior partners want to give you the recourses to do that because they don't want one of their old buddies to win this cosmic game of RiskTM. That's the truth."

Angel took a moment to consider this. "What else?"

"That's it." She said

"That's all they told you?" Angel didn't believe her.

"About their plans? Yep," Lilah sighed. "This not having super strength and semi-omniscience is going to take getting used to. That stuff was really fun."

Angel rolled his eyes. "So now what?"

"You could give me a job in the legal department. I am a damn good lawyer."

…

Footsteps interrupted Wesley's preparations to disenchant the restricted section of files and records. He turned around. "You used to be sneakier." Wesley told Angel

"This place echoes." Angel said

Wesley shrugged and turned back around to get to the files.

"Don't do it."

"Why not?" Wesley's voice was hard and cold.

"Because I'm asking you not to." Angel said "And I wouldn't do that if I didn't have a good reason. I did lie to you, and I've screwed up a lot since. But I swear I have a good-"

Wesley turned back to Angel and glared at him in accusation. "Dr. Sparrow stabbed me in the chest. I felt steel enter my heart. The wound just healed itself. That's impossible."

Angel's eyes widened. "I didn't…"

"You didn't what?"

"I swear to you Wesley, whatever you'd find in those filing cabinets is stuff you don't want to know. I wouldn't keep this from you if it wasn't dangerous."

"So you can handle it and I can't?" Wesley asked

"You don't deserve to have to handle it." Angel said

"I need to know. Fred told me you know about the baby. What if whatever did this to me infected that kid, or worse her. I have to know if she's in danger."

"Don't you think that if that were a possibility I would have done something?"

"I don't know. I don't know you anymore, if I ever did."

Angel was surprised by how much those words hurt. Old wounds opened. "There's nothing I ever could have done to make you trust me! You're incapable of trust! You think you're the only person who's capable of making the right decision! Well you've had some pretty big cock ups yourself Wesley!"

Wesley stared at Angel. "What?" He was stunned.

Angel regretted every word he had just said. Angel rubbed his face in frustration. "I can't do this anymore. Gunn is making secret deals with the enemy and I can't even call him out on it because I did the same thing." Angel sat down and leaned against a filing cabinet. "I don't know what to do anymore. I don't even know who I am. Maybe you're right, maybe this was wrong."

Wesley surprised Angel by sitting down next to him. "I know who you are."

"An arrogant jackass?" Angel suggested

"Well yes," Wesley said in a dry humor "But you're also humanity's champion."

Angel groaned. "What does that even mean?" He asked

"I don't know. I thought you knew."

Angel chuckled. "Our lives are a mess."

"Sometimes though," Wesley said "Life hands you a nice surprise when you're least expecting one. When Fred told me about the baby last night I was ready to freak out. I told her we could make it work, because that was the right thing to do. Inside I was panicking. I never wanted to have kids. But this morning I looked at her and I was glad. I really was. I love Fred and maybe this was the only way we ever could have made it work. I choose to believe that what I thought was an unfortunate mistake is really one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Angel stared at his friend and then he started to laugh. "I know what you mean."

"Okay, I'm aware that sounded corny, but-"

"No that's not why I was laughing. I know exactly what you're talking about. Sometimes things turn out in a way that's completely removed from what you expected to happen. Who ever thought we would be friends? When we first met I really didn't like you." Angel said

"Right, because I was the stick in the mud watcher and you're the dark brooding-"

"No actually it was because you're English. I'm Irish, I have to hate your people."

Wesley rolled his eyes. "We're not the ones who insisted you be a monoculture society that completely collapsed when the potatoes started to rot. That's on you mate."

"Well if the English didn't- We're getting off topic."

Wesley looked at the restricted section. "What would I find in there?"

"Nothing good Wes, nothing you want to see. Please trust me."

"Even though you told me I'm incapable of trust."

"I think we can all agree I'm an asshole with no impulse control."

Wesley sighed. "Maybe I'm an idiot, but I trust you. Hey what did you do to Knox?"

"Lilah pointed out that killing him was just handing him back over to the senior partners where he might still be a threat. So when the calendula wears off we're going to have Lorne read him and then we'll stick him with Pavayne in cold storage."

"Good,"

"Are you okay? With the whole almost being killed thing I mean."

"Just another day at Wolfram & Hart."


	9. Damage

Angel smiled at Lorne as the Pylean entered. "What's the big emergency?"

"Well sweetness, something has moved in, something that doesn't play nice."

"Moved into…"

"L.A." Lorne explained "Something has been taking out demons."

"Why is that a problem?" Angel asked

Lorne glared at the vampire.

Angel didn't blush as he didn't have a circulation, but he would have. "These are good demons that this new player is killing." Angel realized "That is a problem."

"I'm glad we matter." Lorne said dryly

"Hey," Angel said "We're both demons here."

Lorne rolled his eyes. "I've connected twenty deaths in the last week to the new arrival."

"Wow," Angel was suddenly far more attentive. "That's almost three a night."

"Some of the deaths were hard core killers, baby eaters, the usual. But most of them were peaceful balancing demons or demons who had integrated into human society."

"This thing doesn't differentiate." Angel said

"Nope, it all feels a little familiar." Lorne said

"Yeah, Gunn's old gang." Angel said "This is their M.O."

"It wasn't them. I already cleared them before I came to see you. Gunn is going through enough right now. I didn't want to make things worse for him by reopening old wounds."

"We could be dealing with a similar case though."

"The only similarities between the incident with Gunn's old gang and the person doing this is the victims they go after. Other than that the two parties couldn't be more different."

Angel was confused. "How do you know?"

"Because I saved the best for last Angel-cakes." Lorne picked up Angel's TV remote and went through a bunch of menus Angel hadn't even known about. "Check this out."

The grainy security camera footage showed a young woman with long dark hair viciously attacking a small brown demon. Angel hadn't seen such ferocity in a long time. She didn't stop until the demon was pulp. She then walked calmly away. "A girl," Angel whispered

"The psychics say she's human, not possessed."

"She's a slayer." Angel said

"How can you tell?" Lorne asked

"I know slayers." Angel said "That's a slayer."

Angel picked up his phone. "Who are you calling?" Lorne asked

"Yes, connect me to Rupert Giles in England." Angel put his hand over the speaker. "We have a rogue slayer on our hands. There's nothing in the world more dangerous." He removed his hand from the speaker. "Yes, that's him. Dial that number for me."

…

Lilah leaned back in her chair and sighed. "This sucks." She said

"Quit complaining." Gunn mumbled as he poured over the forms

"You're one to talk. You've done nothing but mope for the last month."

"I'm not moping, I'm working. I almost got Wesley killed for this thing." He tapped his head with his pencil's eraser. "I'm not going to let any of it go to waste. I have to make amends."

Lilah rolled her eyes. "Oh God, you've turned into Angel."

"You escaped hell." Gunn said "What do you have to complain about?"

"Where do I begin?"

Gunn sighed. "Just get back to work."

"I still can't do any of life's fun stuff, and now I can't see everything that happens in this building or beat the crap out of anyone I want any more either. I'm… bored."

"It's impossible for me to think of a unit small enough to convey how little I care."

Lilah snickered. "I love it when you get all callous."

"Please tell me you're not flirting with me." Gunn said

"Nah, I don't date my bosses. It's poor professionalism." Lilah said

"Yeah, because good professionalism is your thing."

Lilah rolled her eyes. "Hey have you noticed how much Fred filled out?"

"That's a loaded question." Gunn said

"Yeah, asking a guy if he's noticed how visible his ex-girlfriend's pregnancy has become is sort of insensitive. Seriously though, have you noticed? I didn't think she could gain weight."

Gunn shoved his papers away. "I noticed." He snapped "Can we get back to work now?"

"Hey, you're my boss. I exist only to serve you."

"Good, so maybe we can work in silence for a little while."

"You're jealous aren't you?" Lilah asked

"No," Gunn said through gritted teeth

"If you and Fred hadn't broken up maybe that would be your baby."

Gunn looked up at her and gave her a hateful glare. "Fred and I weren't a good match."

"Why not?" Lilah asked

"That's none of your business. She's happy, I'm happy for her."

"Then why are you so upset?" Lilah asked

"Because you're annoying!"

"There's no need to raise your voice." Lilah said

"God I hate you."

…

Wesley stared at Fred's analysis of the code and one of his sourcebooks. She was sitting on the couch in his office reading reports with no shoes on. She sighed. "I'm fat."

Wesley looked up, his concentration broken. "What?" He smiled at her.

"This isn't funny." She said "I look gross."

"You look great, sexy even."

She glared at him. "You're a terrible liar."

"I think you're beautiful." Wesley said "I always think you're beautiful."

"Sure you do, who doesn't like gross fat pregnant ladies?"

"Fred being pregnant is not the same thing as being fat." Wesley told her

"I have to spend the next twenty weeks looking horribly unattractive." Fred complained

"You look neither horrible nor unattractive."

She sighed again. "I'm just being hormonal and annoying. Am I going to be like this for the rest of the pregnancy?" She asked "Because if I am I don't know how you'll be able to put up with me. I wouldn't be able to put up with me." Fred looked at her file and then put it down.

Wes got up and went over to Fred. He knelt down next to her. "Hey,"

She smiled at him. Neither of them needed to say anything because she could see what he was going to say in his eyes and he saw what she wanted to say in hers. He leaned forward and kissed her. She returned his kiss with passion. Part of the passion was her attraction to him, and part of it was the hormones swirling through her system. She didn't know how much each contributed, but she didn't care. "Did you figure out the numbers?" She whispered

Wesley loved how her version of dirty talk was math. "I think it's a calendar."

"Gregorian?"

"Older," They were still talking around each other's warm lips.

"How old are we talking?"

"Before the great demon exodus."

"That is old."

"I still have to do more research."

"Umm…" Fred felt herself get lost in their connection.

"We should get back to work." He whispered

When their lips came apart their connection remained. It was all in the eyes. "Okay,"

…

Angel and Lorne drove around the neighborhood that Lorne thought would be the girl's hunting grounds tonight. He based this off of psychic readings and a geographic profile Wesley and Fred had put together for him based on where the girl had been. The sun would set in a couple of hours. "So what do we do if we find her?" Lorne asked nervously

"I'll capture her."

"You're going to capture a slayer."

"She's untrained, she'll be easy to take down."

"This last week's murder spree doesn't count as training?" Lorne asked

"She's probably just misguided." Angel said "If I can talk some sense into her-"

"This isn't Faith." Lorne said "Just because that worked once doesn't mean it will again."

"This girl might not know there is such a thing as good demons." Angel said

"Or maybe she doesn't care." Lorne said

"I like to give people the benefit of the doubt."

"So do I sweet tart." Lorne said "But I don't fancy being dismembered by a slayer."

"I won't let anything happen to you." Angel promised

"As encouraging as that is, and it is, maybe it would have been a good idea to wait for that back-up Rupert Giles promised you. They're trained to handle slayers."

Angel rolled his eyes. "A bunch of teenagers who have had powers for less than half a year isn't my idea of good back-up. We can handle this ourselves."

"Well then why did you call him?"

"As co-leader of the new council Giles is responsible for the slayers and I was doing him the courtesy of letting him be involved in the situation. That doesn't mean I'm just going to sit around and wait for a bunch of teenagers to show up and- why are you staring at me?"

Lorne was grinning like a madman. "You're trying to impress Buffy."

"What?"

"You want to have the rogue slayer captured when Buffy's people get here so they can report back to her how great you did." Lorne chuckled. "You can't hide the truth from me."

"You're being ridiculous." Angel muttered

Lorne continued to chuckle. "Don't be ashamed Angel-cakes."

…

Lindsey poured Sirk a glass of wine. "So how are things at Wolfram & Hart?"

"Shameful, but as planned."

"Spike is around often?"

"He pops in about once a day. Not that I see the point. Your plan didn't work. Spike didn't save that insufferable man, Lilah did. Spike's presence was superfluous."

"Patience friend," Lindsey said

"The well of my patience is as deep as your bank account; but I am a curious man by nature and I don't understand why we're just sitting here stagnating." Sirk said

Lindsey chuckled. "Timing is the key to everything. There is no point in freeing Illyria from her unworthy prison as long as Angel is there to kill her again."

"Well actually it was his girlfriend. Remember?"

Lindsey rolled his eyes. "Yes I recall the seer. She was tiresome."

"She's dead. She can't kill Illyria this time."

"I'm not taking any chances." Lindsey said

Sirk shrugged. "As far as important goings-on at the firm I only have one thing to report."

"What is it?"

"There's a rogue slayer in town."

"Again? There really is something about this place. Maybe I'll set Spike on her."

…

Angel exited the elevator in a foul mood. Spike and Lorne followed. All three of them were severely wounded. Spike and Angel were in the middle of a shouting match that Lorne was doing his best to avoid. "I didn't need your help!" Angel shouted "I had it handled!"

"Uh boss," Harmony said in a very nervous voice

"Not now." Angel snapped

"You are insufferable!" Spike screamed "You are so obsessed with getting the glory for yourself that you can't let anybody else do anything! I would have had her!"

"You would have had her stake in your heart if I hadn't stepped in!"

"Angel," Harmony said, still sounding frightened

Lorne looked at her. She was used to this kind of thing and it wasn't like her to get emotional over one of Angel's shouting matches with Spike. "What is it Harmonica?"

"The slayer is here." Harmony whispered as though the word would summon her

Angel and Spike both immediately clammed up. They spoke at the same time.

"Buffy?" Spike asked

"Why didn't you say anything?" Angel growled

"No," Harmony answered Spike's question in a huffy tone. "The other one."

Again they spoke at the same time.

"Oh," Spike was disappointed.

"Where?"

"Conference room," Harmony said

Angel ran for the conference room with Spike and Lorne at his heels. He threw the doors open and stared at the scene in front of him. Xander was sitting at the head of the table wearing an eye patch. Faith was leaning against the wall. Wesley and Fred were sitting at one side of the table while Gunn sat at the same side as the wall Faith was leaning on. "Faith!"

Faith turned her head and grinned at the vampire. "Angel," Angel rushed toward her but was stilled by her voice. "You're not going to hug me are you?" She asked in a teasing voice

He stopped in front of her. "Of course not. I don't do that."

"Good, so I hear you have a rogue slayer on your hands. I have some experience in that area as some of you may recall. Giles was determined to send you no less than the best the council has to offer. We are ever your humble servants." She gave him a mock curtsy.

Angel couldn't get rid of the goofy grin on his face. "I am glad to see you."

Angel hadn't noticed Xander's scowl. "So how about we get back to work?"

"Part of Xander's watcher training involved becoming a huge stick in the mud. It's like he's doing the opposite of that thing Wesley did." Faith explained with a huge cheeky grin

"So we're all just going to sit around and reminisce then?" Xander asked

Faith rolled her eyes. "Well from the looks of it Angel knows where we might be able to find the naughty slayer. I say he and I go kick her ass while you stay here and write up one of those reports Giles is ever so fond of. Or do you want to give the order?" Faith asked

Xander scowled again. "We talked about this on the way here."

Faith chuckled. "Come on Xander. If this were a trap Angel and- holy shit! Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Faith stared at Spike. "You like blew up or something!"

"I got better." Spike said

Faith shrugged. "Sounds legit,"

"Not to burst your bubble," Spike said "But you're going to need some serious firepower to take down this bird. She beat down me and Angel without breaking a sweat."

"Yeah, she's a slayer." Faith said "But I'm _the_ slayer."

"Well," Xander said "Actually Buffy-"

"I'm the _active_ slayer." Faith amended "I'll show this girl a good time."

"I'll go too." Gunn said "An extra hand can't hurt."

"Do you have any special abilities?" Faith asked bluntly

"I've been hunting vamps since I was a kid." Gunn said "I can hold my own."

Angel thought about what a tough time Gunn had been having. "We should bring him."

Faith shrugged. "If Angel says you're good, you're good. Let's go."

Faith turned and departed without a word. Xander started to protest, reconsidered, and then gave up. The two vampires and Gunn followed the slayer. "That woman infuriates me."

"She has quite a presence." Fred said

"I'll say." Lorne said

"Oh Lorne," Fred said "Do you want me to walk you to medical."

"I can make it sweetness." Lorne said

"I'll go with you." She insisted

Wesley watched his pregnant girlfriend leave with his demon friend. He was now alone with Xander. "I need a favor." Xander asked in a quiet voice that disguised embarrassment

"What is it?" Wesley asked

"I need to see her."

Wesley nodded. "Of course you do."

…

The grave already had a bouquet of flowers on it. Xander set his white roses next to the colorful blossoms. "I wonder who left these." Xander said

"Lorne," Wesley said "Fred and I always come here together; Angel and Gunn tend to be a bit more muted with their color schemes. Lorne doesn't believe anything should be dreary."

"Not even a graveyard?"

"Especially not a graveyard." Wesley said

Xander knelt down next to the marker. "I really wanted to come to the ceremony."

"She understands." Wesley said

"How do you know?" Xander asked bitterly

"She understood many things a young woman shouldn't have to." Wesley said

Xander touched the year of her death. "I did love her, but I didn't love her as well as I should have. Maybe things would have been different if I hadn't let her go."

"Nobody let Cordelia do anything." Wesley said

Xander grinned despite himself. "That's very true."

"She was incredible in her final moments. Her death had meaning."

Xander got to his feet. "No death has meaning." He glared at Wes with pure hate.

Wesley understood. "That isn't true. She was a hero."

"And now she's rotting. That's her reward."

"I like to think there's more to it than that." Wesley said "I like to think my friend got the reward a hero deserves. I like to think she rests with her fallen friends, and that she waits for us."

"Well then you're an even bigger idiot than…" Xander looked away to hide his burgeoning tears. "I've lost a lot of people I care about. I lost the woman I loved in the battle with the first and then I found out that Cordy… God, why did it have to be her?"

"I know how you feel."

"You couldn't possibly know how I feel. You've got a beautiful woman who you love dearly and is carrying your child. You have everything that I- You have everything you could ever want. I don't have anybody. I lost everything because every time I have a chance to make something for myself I screw it up. I'm an idiot like that. I drove Cordy away and I left a gorgeous fantastic woman who wanted to marry me, _me_, at the altar. You couldn't even begin to comprehend how I feel right now." Xander rubbed the skin around his missing eye.

"I know you wish you could take her place. I know you've thought over what happened a million times and come up with a thousand scenarios for how you could have done things differently and I know you're angry. You're angry at the world, and you're angry at yourself."

Xander looked at Wesley. "Well maybe you do know."

"You have to forgive yourself Xander. You're a good man."

"That's funny. I thought you didn't like me."

"I didn't. But we've both grown up."

Xander smiled. "Thank you for bringing me here."

…

Faith led the men down the dark street. "How are we going to track the girl?" Gunn asked

"We are tracking her." Faith said

"How's that?"

"Slayer senses are like nothing in the world mate." Spike said

"So you can just what, smell her?" Gunn asked

"No," Faith said "I can feel her."

"Does the new council have any info on this girl?" Angel asked

"None," Faith said "We have no record of her."

"She's a funny one." Spike said "Didn't say a word the whole time she was throttling us."

"Focused on her task, that's just good tactics." Faith said

"She's a murderer." Gunn said

"A murderer with good tactics." Faith replied

They were quiet until Faith came to a stop in front of a manhole. "She followed a demon down there." Faith said "She was here no more than ten minutes ago."

"Let's go then." Gunn said

"Stay close. I don't want to have to pick up bloody dusty bits of all of you."

"She's pretty confident." Gunn said "I want to see her in action."

"It's a life changing experience." Angel said

…

Fred walked past Gunn's office on her way to the lab from medical. Lorne had insisted that he was all right and Fred did have work to do. Inside the office Lilah was sitting in Gunn's chair flipping through a file. "Are you supposed to be in there?" Fred asked from the hall

"I'm not allowed to talk to you." Lilah didn't even look up at Fred

"I'm pretty sure Gunn wouldn't like you being in his office when he's away."

"Wow, you really are a genius." Lilah still didn't look up from the file.

"I'll call security." Fred threatened

Lilah snorted. "When did you become a weak little girl who needs to call other people to solve her problems?" Lilah asked "Why don't you make me leave yourself?"

"I don't have time for this." Fred said

"Or maybe you're just afraid you might hurt your hellspawn." When Lilah didn't get an answer she looked up finally and realized Fred had left after her final statement. Lilah looked back down at her file and then closed it. She put the file on the desk and lay her head in her arms.

…

The darkness in the sewer was complete. They followed the quiet sound of Faith's feet displacing the water under her. The silence began to unnerve Gunn. He had begun to hate quiet more and more lately. When sound abandoned him he was left alone with his thoughts and they were always about the same thing. Faith stopped. "What happened?" Gunn asked

"She killed the demon here. I don't know where she went next."

"We can split up." Angel said

"I'll take the squishy mortal." Faith said

"You don't squish?" Gunn asked irritably

"I'm immortal." Gunn couldn't tell if she was joking. But she was already leaving and Gunn followed her while Angel and Spike took a different tunnel. The silence fell again.

Gunn couldn't take it anymore. "I've heard stories about you." He said

"Yeah?" She sounded bored. "Are you scared?"

"Of course not, Angel trusts you."

"You heard about what I did to Wes right? Aren't you afraid I'll peel back your skin and batter your sensitive bits? Most people are. Even the council doesn't trust me completely."

"I thought you were high in the ranks."

"I technically run this sector. But I know Buffy only trusts me to head things up in Cleveland because she knows Robin, that's my boy toy, is watching me."

"I'm sorry." Gunn said "That sounds rough."

He still couldn't see her in the darkness so he couldn't read her body language and had to judge her feelings purely on sound. "It's nothing I don't deserve. The road to redemption is a rocky path, you don't give up because it's hard. Angel taught me that. The best I can do is try to earn their trust and hope they choose to give it to me one day. It's an easier thing to loose than gain back, I can tell you that." Her words cut him. "But my life is pretty sweet." She said

"Yeah?" He hoped she couldn't hear his pain.

"Sure, it's just sex and violence all the time. That's the dream buddy."

"If you say so." Gunn said

"What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm a lawyer." Gunn said "But I do my fair share of violence."

"What about the sex?" She asked

"That's kind of a personal question."

"So then it's been a while." Faith deduced "No need to be ashamed."

Despite himself Gunn chuckled. "You're something else."

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Faith asked

"I can't think of a reason."

"Hey can I ask you a personal question?"

"More personal than when the last time I had sex was?" Gunn asked

"What's going on with you? The last time I saw you there weren't any of these sad vibes you're sweating. What the hell happened man? I don't think it's because Wes got with your ex."

Gunn sighed. "Why do people keep bringing that up?"

"If you don't want to talk about it-"

"No," Gunn said "It's not that. I did something… terrible."

"Hey man, murder, torture, I've done it all. If you get a chance before we leave ask Xander about the time Angel saved him from me. He'll get all pissy, he hates your boss. But my point is there isn't a crime on this earth I haven't committed. Angel believed I could change and that's why I'm here. You're here too, so he must believe in you. Angel has good judgment."

"I almost got my friend killed." Gunn protested

"On purpose?" Faith asked

"No,"

"Then you still haven't gotten down to my level."

"I broke a promise, I betrayed my friends' trust."

"Did you apologize?" Faith asked

"How can I? I can't even face them."

"You need to apologize. Trust me, the longer you wait the harder it gets."

He sighed. "What if it's too late?"

"It's never too late." Faith said "But it has to be done."

"When did you become all reasonable?"

"I'm dating a high school principal, I picked up a few tricks."

"That's working out then?"

"There are snags, but it's a nice change of pace. He's the first guy I ever came back to for seconds so the whole experience is new. Sometimes I don't know how to act around him."

"I can't picture you changing the way you act for anyone." He said

"I don't." Faith said "That's part of the problem, not that there are problems…"

Gunn sensed there was more to the story. "If you want to talk-"

"Shhh." Faith said

"Hey, we went through my problems, why-"

"I hear something." She whispered

"Oh," He whispered

"Go away," A voice hoarse with lack of use commanded

"Sorry sweetie, we have to chat." Faith said

"You don't smell like them." The rouge slayer said

"We're not." Faith said "We're human."

"You aren't human." The woman said from shadows that fully concealed her

"I'm a slayer, like you. My friend here is just a regular Joe."

"Thanks," Gunn said dryly

"You smell, bad man." The slayer said "You smell like death. Musty death with no salt."

"Why weren't we warned that she was crazy?" Faith whispered

"Killer," The slayer hissed "You killed a man. You killed the red bloods."

Faith stilled. "Yeah, I did do that. You killed innocents as well."

"Uncleans,"

"None of us are exactly clean now are we sweetie?" Faith asked

"Traitors both, defiers of edicts, sinners, I will make this place clean."

"This is a sewer." Faith said "Clean isn't exactly the point."

"Monster, you. I break you to bits."

Faith sighed. "Rational discourse isn't going to be an option huh?"

"I'd say no." Gunn said

"Bummer," Faith ran into the pool of shadows. While Faith and Gunn had spoken their short sentences the rogue slayer had silently approached Gunn. She grabbed him by the neck and forced his arms behind his back. Gunn struggled, but the girl's light frame held strength that Gunn was powerless against. Gunn had trouble calling out because of the grip on his neck.

"Go away nasty girl." The rogue said "I have your boy."

Gunn felt something fast hit them. Gunn was released from the strong woman's grip while Faith punched her. The strange slayer brought up her knee and managed to separate herself from Faith. Both slayers got to their feet. Faith rushed the less experienced slayer, but the deranged woman ran off, heading for a ladder that led to the surface. Faith followed the slayer and Gunn followed Faith. If they had gone more than a block away from the manhole he would have lost them, but luckily Faith stopped the slayer yards from the sewer entrance. The two set to a battle that was unlike anything Gunn had ever seen. He'd fought many vampires, but these two were faster and stronger than the best of them. His eyes had trouble following the movements of their limbs. He wondered how a person could even think as fast as they were moving.

Gunn pulled out his cell phone to call Angel for back-up, but he didn't think there was much his boss could contribute. Now that Gunn could see the rouge slayer he found himself captivated by her gruesome appearance. Her face was covered in scars while her body was coated in blood and slime. She attacked with a frenzy, there was no balance or precision to her movements. Faith had better form and yet still managed to put as much speed and strength into every movement as her opponent. The only thing that prevented Faith from winning this contest hands down was that Faith didn't want to injure the other woman, her opponent did.

Angel and Spike entered the scene. "She found her." Angel said "Good,"

"Should we help?" Spike asked

The three men watched the action for a moment. "She's got it." Angel said

"Is it terrible that I am so hot right now?" Gunn asked

"Slayers," Spike said "What did I tell you?"

Faith landed a punch to the jaw that sent her opposition reeling. Faith kicked the woman behind her knees, causing her to buckle and hit the ground. Faith grabbed matted dirty hair and forced the woman's head back. Faith punched the slayer in the nose. Faith stepped back and let her opponent cough and sputter, trying to clear the blood from her face. Faith folded her arms and stared at the dark slayer. "Are we done yet?" Faith asked "Or do you need a little more?"

The other slayer made a hissing sound. "Demons," She raised her hand to point at the vampires standing with Gunn. "Bloody teeth, he tears and he rips. He will take her."

"What are you prattling on about?" Faith asked

A car came toward them. Faith started for the slayer to drag her out of the path of the car but then stopped when she recognized it as the car she had arrived in L.A. in. Xander stopped the car in front of them and then got out. "Good job Faith." He said

"How did you know where to find us?" Faith asked

"The new cell phone tracking system, remember?"

"Oh yeah, more of Willow's techno pagan nonsense."

"Let's get her in the car." Xander said

"We should take her back to Wolfram & Hart to secure her for transport." Angel said

"Yeah," Faith said "We don't want her breaking loose on the way back to Cleveland."

…

Angel, Spike, Gunn, Faith, and Xander entered the conference room. Lorne, Fred, and Wesley were in the room. "Did you enjoy your tour?" Lorne asked

"Yeah, thanks." Xander said "It was nice of you to show me around."

Fred pulled a Ziploc bag out of her pocket and threw it at Xander. The bag was full of small transparent devices. Xander stared at them before looking up at the furious faces of the people in the conference room. "I found those after Xander left to meet you guys." Fred said

"Bugs?" Angel's voice shook with anger.

"Yep," Fred said

"Xander what is this?" Faith asked

Xander didn't look at her. "Buffy's orders,"

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Faith demanded

"You didn't need to know." Xander said

"We trusted you." Fred said "We gave you access to our facilities and you used that."

Gunn looked away. The words weren't meant for him, but they hurt. "The council has to keep tabs on any potential threats to the world's safety. Wolfram & Hart is a haven for evil."

"We're changing that." Fred said

"You say you are."

"I can't believe you went behind my back like this." Faith said

"You don't have to approve of the council's decisions." Xander said

"And I don't have to know about them either?"

"Buffy thought you were too close to Angel. She didn't want you to have to choose between your loyalty to him and your loyalty to us. She was thinking about your feelings."

"Bullshit," Faith said "You didn't trust me not to blab."

Xander shrugged. "Call it what you will."

"You'll never trust me, even after all we've been through together."

Xander scanned the room. "Maybe we should discuss this on the way back to Cleveland, I think we've worn out our welcome." Xander started to go but Faith stayed still. "Faith?"

"It's always going to be like this. I try so hard for all of you and all you can see is the way things were before. You said you forgave me. You said you were my friend."

"I am your friend Faith." Xander said "I did forgive you. I just… didn't forget."

"And you never will."

"It's not-" Xander searched her face. "What are you going to do? Quit?"

"Have you left me any other choice?"

"Where will you go?"

"I'm a big girl." Faith said "I'll figure it out."

Xander hesitated. "What about Robin?"

"Let me worry about Robin. Tell Buffy she can keep my last check and not to worry about me doing anything stupid. I'll call Giles every few months to let him know I'm not evil."

"It doesn't have to be this way." Xander said "You do good work with us."

"I can't live like this Xander. I can't be constantly trying to win Buffy's approval."

"Faith-"

"You should go. Like you said you've warn out your welcome."

"I'm sorry Faith." Xander looked at Angel. "Where can I pick up the slayer?"

"You can't. If the council doesn't trust us we don't trust them. We'll handle getting the girl medical attention and making sure she doesn't hurt anyone else."

Xander stared at Angel with real hate. "That's not going to happen."

"If you still had a slayer with you I might be intimidated." Angel said with a grin

Xander pulled a cellphone out of his pocket and held it up to Angel. Angel saw live footage from the docks near their headquarters. Twelve young woman, all slayers, were standing there awaiting orders. "Are you intimidated now?" Xander put the phone back into his pocket and smirked at Angel. "Let's get one thing straight, we're not allies anymore. You picked a side and it was the wrong one. Buffy made that clear to me before I left. You can't be trusted."

"And now I'm back to hating you." Wesley told Xander

"You assholes got Cordy killed, I don't give a damn what you think. As far as I'm concerned, Angel is dead." Xander stared into Angel's eyes. "You're just a regular vamp."

Angel approached Xander, their eyes locked. Xander didn't flinch or retreat. "I don't ever want to see you in my city again. Tell Buffy and the rest of the scoobies that goes for them too."

"Fine." Xander said "Now where can I pick up the slayer?"

The two continued to stare. Something was going to happen and the more time that passed the less likely it was to be anything good. Wesley approached the two. "I'll show you where the slayer is. Take her and go. She's insane, so good luck with that."

Xander broke eye contact with Angel and followed Wesley. Angel turned back around to look at Faith. She was trying to conceal how upset she was. "Does that go for me too?"

"What?"

"Do you never want to see me again either?"

"You're always welcome here Faith."

Faith gave him a slight smile. "This is new."

Angel gave her a curious look. "Being betrayed?"

"Being unemployed."

"Well funnily enough, we've been looking for a new head of security."

…

Wesley looked up from his book when he heard a knock on his office door and called for the knocker to enter. Faith came in and took a seat. "So did you hear?"

"Angel offered you a job."

"Apparently your security sucks."

Wesley thought back to some of their more memorable security breaches. "I would say that's a fair summation. Slayer security is something few companies can say they have."

"I told him I'd think about it."

"The corporate lifestyle not really your thing?" He guessed

"The last time I was in L.A. things were so hectic that we never got a chance to have any sort of real conversation. I never actually apologized to you for what happened… before."

Wesley stared at her. "You don't have to."

"I'm sorry Wesley." She said "You don't have to forgive me, but I am."

"If that's what's keeping you from taking the job then I forgive you."

"I don't want to take this job if that would make you uncomfortable."

Wesley snickered. "That's ironic for reasons that have nothing to do with you."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Okay. Listen-"

"Gunn took your advice. He came in here to apologize to me and I… I forgave him."

"You sound surprised." Faith said

"I am. I never considered myself to be an overly compassionate person. I have this strict sense of justice, but that doesn't necessarily translate to compassion. But I felt I had to forgive him for some reason. Maybe because he's my friend, but there was more to it than that."

"What?" Faith asked

"I have no idea. But we do need a new head of security and you are more than qualified for the job. So take it. There's no bad blood between us as far as I'm concerned."

"Thanks Wes," She stood up. "And congratulations on the upcoming tiny person."

…

Gunn walked past Harmony's desk to the elevator. "Is it true?" Harmony asked

"What?"

"We've got a slayer working here now?"

Gunn nodded. "A hot one too,"

"What has become of my life?" Harmony asked "I work with a slayer."

"There, there," Gunn said as he got in the elevator

Gunn was anxious as he made his way to the lab. He had figured Wesley would be far less likely to accept his apology so he had gone there first. He thought hearing Wesley forgive him would make him less nervous, but that wasn't the case. Gunn entered the lab and saw Fred bent over a microscope analyzing one of the bugs. "Hey Charles," She said

He couldn't read her tone. "Did you get them all?"

"I think so, but that's not what you came here to talk about."

"No, it's not."

She looked up at him. "You've been avoiding me, and Wesley."

"That was kind of cowardly." He admitted

"It was very cowardly." She said

"I'm sorry." Gunn said

She crossed her arms and stared at him. "What are you sorry for?"

"Because I lied to you. Because I didn't tell you what was going on. I'm sorry for a lot of other things, but mostly that. Our friendship means more to me than this." He tapped his head.

Her stony face melted into a smile. "Then I forgive you."

"Just like that?"

"No point in-oh!" She touched her stomach.

"Are you okay?" He asked in alarm

She was still grinning. "I'm great, the baby just kicked."

"Oh," He said in relief

"Come here." She held out her hand.

He walked over. She took his hand, moving it onto her stomach. "I don't feel anything."

"I guess it was just a quick stretch." She said

"I never got to tell you congratulations, what with the me avoiding you thing."

"You can tell me now."

"Congratulations Fred. This is the first good news we've had in a long time."


	10. Soul Purpose

Faith entered her new office. A strange feeling overcame her. She felt a little lost and a little confused. She felt like she didn't belong here and was worried someone would come in and shoo her away. Yet a part of her felt at home. Part of her wanted to sit down in the chair at the very nice desk and get to work. The room was neither large nor small, but the perfect size for her to feel neither cramped nor tiny. "Do you like it?" A voice asked from the doorway

She turned around to see Gunn holding a laundry bag. "What's that?"

"Uniforms, you're not in dress code."

Faith looked down at her leather pants and black tank top. "I suppose not."

"Angel was going to give you the tour and help you get settled in but the liaison to the senior partners showed up today and he's busy. I can help you with anything you need."

"How did you get saddled with that duty?" Faith teased

"I volunteered." He grinned at her.

Faith took the laundry bag and opened it. Inside were two almost identical uniforms. Both were red suits, but one had a skirt and one had pants. "I'm not much for skirts." She said

"I figured you would say that, but I thought I would bring it anyway on the off chance I might get to spend the day staring at your legs. I guy can dream right?"

"Were you dreaming about me last night Councilor?" Faith asked

"No comment," Gunn said

"Where can I change?" Faith asked

Gunn pointed to a door in the office. "There's a bathroom back there."

"I'll be right back." She said in her best bedroom voice

Gunn waited patiently for her to get back. Angel had put Faith up in one of Wolfram & Hart's real estate holdings until she could find her own place. She had been eager to start work, not even wanting to take a day to get acclimated to the city or sleep off last night's healthy bout of violence. Gunn had expected her to look tired or worn this morning after spending the night battling a slayer and then only getting a few hours of sleep, but nothing could be farther from the truth as the incredible sexy young woman came out of the bathroom in a red skirt. "I thought you weren't big on skirts." Gunn said as he examined the way the fabric framed her figure

"I thought I'd give it a try." She explained "So when does my tour start?"

Gunn held the door to the office open even though it would stay open on its own if he just left it alone. He gestured to the hall. "Right this way." As she left the office he gave her legs a nice long appraisal. This was going to be a very fun day. He closed the door and followed her.

…

Angel sat at his desk while Hamilton sat in the chair opposite. Neither of the men were under any illusion that they held anything other than contempt for each other. "The senior partners have a problem." Hamilton said "It happens to be in your jurisdiction."

"You know how concerned I get when the senior partners have a problem." Angel said

Hamilton grinned, amused by Angel's sarcasm. "This problem you care about."

"What is it?"

"Lindsey McDonald is back in L.A."

Angel scowled.

"I knew that would get your attention." Hamilton said

…

Spike thought about the events of last night. He was trying to sort through some conflicting thoughts. Angel had offered Faith a job. Why hadn't Angel offered Spike one? Angel had no problem asking Spike to stick around and help him keep an eye on Fred, but Spike wasn't good enough for a job? Of course he didn't want to work for the ponce, but it was the principle of the thing. Spike downed a beer. What was even the point of staying here anymore? Did Angel really think Fred was in danger or had he just been trying to keep Spike away from Buffy? Spike heard familiar footsteps. He was glad Doyle was here. Spike needed a distraction and the seer was always good for one. "Your killer was a slayer." Spike said as Doyle came into view

"Did you get her?"

"No but the council did, the new one. They are not in Angel's books I'll tell you that."

"Why is that?"

"They tried to spy on him. They don't trust him."

"Should they?" Doyle asked

That was the question. As Spike pondered the thought Doyle tossed something at him that Spike caught easily. He looked at it. "A cell phone? What's this for?"

"Calling people,"

Spike glared at Doyle. "Why'd you get it and how does a homeless guy get a cellphone?"

"I found a way. If something happens I might need to contact you. Just hold onto it."

Spike pocketed the cellphone without another thought.

…

Lorne entered the lab with a basket of muffins. Fred looked up from her work station and couldn't restrain a giggle. "What's this?" She asked

"A client sent these to me as a gift. My figure can't take the carbs so I thought about a person I know who doesn't need to be worrying about their figure and… here you go."

Lorne set the basket on Fred's table. "We're not supposed to eat in here." Fred said

"You're the boss, you don't have to follow the rules." Lorne said

"I have to set an example for my underlings." Fred said

"Just eat the muffins Fredikins."

Fred rolled her eyes as she took a muffin from the basket. "Why didn't you just have your assistant bring these down? Yum, Banana nut." Her concerns over having food in the lab left.

"I can only go so long without seeing my wonderful friend Fred."

"I'm not going to sing." Fred said

Lorne dropped the pretense. "Please." He begged "Just one little note."

"No," Fred continued to eat her muffin and look over her work.

"Don't you want to know?"

"Nope, I want to be surprised."

"You're impossible." Lorne said "Are you going to wait until you give birth to find out?"

"Probably not that long." She admitted "But I don't want to know just yet."

"Okay, fine. Just sing and I won't tell you the sex."

"What's the point of that?" Fred asked

"Then I won't go mad with curiosity." Lorne said "I need to know."

"You don't need to know."

"How can you stand it?" Lorne asked "How can you not want to know?"

She sighed. "This is going to sound dumb."

"Spill Fredalicious," Lorne demanded

"I feel like I do know. It's ridiculous, but I can feel…" She looked away, embarrassed.

"That's not ridiculous." Lorne insisted "You're a mom, moms know things."

"I don't want to sing and then find out I'm wrong."

"Well boy or girl?" Lorne asked

Fred blushed. "I feel silly."

"You're not silly. Now tell me before I lose my head."

Fred waved her hand dismissively. "We can just reattach it."

"Fred,"

She sighed. "The baby's a girl. I feel like she's a girl."

"If you sing you'll know for sure." Lorne said

"No…"

"Come on." He wheedled "Just a little bit of song."

"Lorne,"

"L is for the way you look at me." Lorne sang "O is for the only one I see."

"I'm not going to sing." Fred said obstinately

"V is very very very, come on Fred you know this line." He sang his request in tune with the song. "V is very very very-" He pointed to Fred. "I can do this all day sugar plum."

Her face broke out into an unwilling grin. "Extra-ordinary," She sang

The last line they sang in sync. "E is even more than anyone that you adore and love was made for you and me." Lorne clapped his hands together at their performance. "Beautiful,"

"Well?" She asked

"Well what?"

"What did you see?" She asked

"I thought you didn't want to know." He said innocently

Fred hit him in the shoulder. "Lorne,"

He beamed. "You were right."

"I knew I was." She said, unable to disguise how happy she was

…

"This is where most of the offices are." Gunn said as he showed Faith around "That's Angel's office. There's Wesley's office, he's researching something so try not to shout, run in the halls, or breathe loud." Faith smirked at the joke. Gunn led Faith to his office. "This is where I make magic happen. Not literally, that's Wesley's department, but if you need legal finagling this is where you come." Gunn pushed the door open to reveal a woman sitting at his desk.

"Are you sure this is your office?" Faith teased

Gunn scowled at Lilah. "What are you doing here?"

"Reading,"

"Why are you reading in my office?"

"I wanted to bother you."

"Mission accomplished, now get lost."

Lilah smirked at Faith. "If I still had my old job I'd be figuring out how to manipulate you right now, but alas I'm just a lowly attorney again. So hi I guess."

Faith crossed her arms. "You managed to do plenty of damage as a lowly attorney if I recall correctly. You and your lawyer buddies tried to get me to kill Angel."

"A task you were only too eager to undertake." Lilah reminded Faith

"What are you even doing here?" Faith asked "Why didn't Angel fire you?"

"He saved me from the pits of hell actually."

Faith looked at Gunn for confirmation. "It's a long story." Gunn said

"And I hate long stories." Lilah said as she stood up "So with that I depart."

Faith and Gunn watched her go. "Ignore her." Gunn said "Everybody does."

Faith walked over to Gunn's desk and leaned against it, showing off the legs she knew he was unable to stop gazing at. "So my job is to prevent stuff like that right? I'm supposed to make sure that everything is in its place and that no one goes anywhere they oughtn't."

"Pretty much." Gunn said "We've had a lot of security breaches since we got here."

"How many?"

Gunn took a moment to think. "Well despite the fact that Lorne screened all of our employees three of them so far have managed to subvert the process. One of them tried to abduct an innocent girl and eat her." Faith raised her eyebrows and Gunn continued. "Two of them were trying to kill Wes for some reason. Someone spiked the punch at a party. Drusilla showed up and wreaked quite a bit of havoc. Basically we need a new way of doing things and a competent person to get them done. Angel thinks no one can get the job done better than you."

"That's a lot of pressure." Faith said

"Are you not good with pressure?" Gunn asked

"Charlie, I am fantastic with pressure."

"Come on, it's a big building and we have a lot to see."

As they walked past Harmony's desk to get to the elevator Faith noticed that the vampire was hiding under her desk. "What's her problem?" Faith whispered

"She thinks you're going to stake her."

"That wouldn't be a very good way to start out now would it?"

…

Fred entered Wesley's office. His desk was covered with books and scrolls. "So what are you up to?" She asked, munching on one of Lorne's delicious muffins

He quickly put some papers into a desk drawer. "Just looking over some stuff." He said

She gave him a suspicious look and then sat down in front of his desk. "Such as?"

"I was working on that calendar I told you about. It was out of order."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing yet,"

"So why did you just hide a bunch of stuff in your desk?" Fred asked

"I…"

"You…"

He smiled at her. He couldn't help it. "You look great."

She glared. "Don't change the subject."

"I didn't mean to. I am just constantly overwhelmed by your beauty."

She tried to hold back a grin and mostly succeeded. She held out her hand for the documents he had hidden away. He sighed and handed her a template. She looked at the document it was open to. "I've never seen this language before." She said

"Me either, but I managed to figure out how old it is by linguistic markers."

"And you confirmed your suspicion about how old the calendar is?"

"If my theory is correct, this civilization ended at the same time as the demon exodus."

"So they were around when demons ruled the world."

"Not only that." Wesley said "But they foresaw their return."

"And that's what the calendar is for, to tell you when they will." Fred realized

"They don't use any of the time-keeping standards we do, but if I use the time period that Illyria was on earth and the time when the demon exodus occurred as baselines I think I can predict when the next old one will emerge. The problem is, as I said the calendar is out of order."

"How can you be sure?"

"This society divided its 'years' into ten sections of time, sort of like our months. Each month was named after a relation. The first month is the month of the mother, the second in the month of the father, and so forth. This calendar is missing three months and scrambled."

"Was one of the months in the calendar when Illyria was here?"

"Yes, it's the fourth month, but it is the first month in this calendar."

"What relation is the fourth month?"

Wes went through the list. "The order the months appear on this faulty calendar is brother, the feminine of comrade in arms, sister-in-law, sister, son, brother-in-law, and the male version of comrade in arms. This calendar is missing the mother, father, and daughter months."

"Are these relationships significant?"

Wesley shrugged. "I can't tell." He hated lying to her. "Anyway those aren't actually very good translations. We don't have words for the real meanings of each relation."

"What are the real meanings?"

"Well the society that wrote out this prediction was a warrior society. Unity on the battle field was their most praised virtue. So someone you fight beside was your family just because they fought with you. The word I used brother for doesn't actually imply a blood relation, it's just a person you're stuck with for one reason or another. It could be because you like them, are related to them, owe them, need them, any of these things. The same goes for sister. The in-law relations aren't just for your lover's relatives, it's a word for any person that you have an obligation to because of your relationship to someone else rather than your relationship to them."

"So these relationships have something to do with the old ones?" Fred asked

"Maybe,"

"Wesley if you decode this calendar we'll know when the next old one will show up."

"Yeah, I should really get back to work." He said "I think you just gave me an idea."

"Okay," She said "I just came in here to tell you something about the baby."

He gave her a nervous look. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything is great." She smiled at him. "We're going to have a girl."

He returned her smile. It would have fooled many people, but it didn't fool her. "Great,"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking. You know how it is when you get a problem stuck in your head and you have to keep turning it over until you find the answer." He told her

She leaned forward and kissed him. "Don't work too hard."

He watched her go while an uncomfortable mass of guilt festered in his gut. He hated hiding things from her, but how could he tell her the truth when even he didn't know the story in its entirety? He made sure his blinds were down and pulled out a letter opener. He ignored the pain while he drove the dull blade into his hand. Rusty blood welled around the blade. Wesley removed the blade and watched his flesh smooth back into its former state. He threw the letter opener to the ground in a fury. He pulled his work back out of his desk. He needed to find the next date. He needed to find out exactly what had happened last year. Because he almost knew.

…

"Faith you remember Lorne." Gunn said as they entered the demon's office

Lorne got up and gave Faith's hand a hearty shake. "We're all so glad to have you here."

"Thank you." Faith said

"If you ever need some advice on your destiny old Lorney is your man." Lorne said

"I'll keep that in mind." Faith said

"I'm also in charge of managing our celebrity clients and maintaining our public image."

"So you're like a spin doctor?" Faith asked

"Pretty much," Lorne said "I make us look all friendly and fuzzy to the humans while I paint us as dark and depraved to the nasty demons. The truth of it is a little of both."

"Friendly and depraved?" Faith asked with a seductive smile

Lorne smirked. "I get the feeling that you two are enjoying each other's company."

Gunn blushed. "I'm just showing her around."

"Yeah," Faith said "Charlie is showing me a good time."

"Good for him." Lorne said "It's been a while."

Gunn glared at them. "I hate you guys."

"He's cute when he's indignant." Faith said

…

Angel cruised the city with Hamilton in the passenger seat. First the man had invaded his office and now he was in Angel's beautiful car. Would the indignities never end? They were on the prowl for a most dangerous game. "What does Lindsey want?" Angel asked

"Do you really need me to answer that question?"

"Humor me,"

"Of course boss," Hamilton said "Lindsey wants Illyria."

"Does he really think she won't kill him like the rest?" Angel asked

"He thinks he's special." Hamilton said "You know the type."

Angel made a noncommittal grunt. "He's one of a kind all right."

…

Faith and Gunn entered the lab. Faith was nervous to be seeing the young woman again who was in love with the man she had once brutally tortured. Awkward situations like these were the kind of things that happened to reformed evil-doers. Gunn led Faith up the stairs to Fred's office and then knocked on the door. Fred grinned and then waved them in. "Hey guys."

"What's with the big basket of muffins?" Faith asked

"Lorne?" Gunn asked

"Lorne," Fred affirmed

"Evidently that explains everything." Faith said with a shrug "So how far along are you?"

"Right under five months," Fred said "I can't believe I'm halfway through."

"I hear the second half is the hard part." Gunn said

"I heard it's the part where you have to take care of a baby." Faith said

"I'm thinking Faith's right." Fred said

"So I've been thinking about security reforms." Faith told Fred "I'd like to install an alarm system set off by loud noises. I'm talking screaming, gun shots, stuff like that."

"An alarm activated by high decibels, totally doable." Fred said "You wouldn't want them installed in the lab or the parking garage though because they'd be going off all the time due to our occasional controlled explosion and overlapping revving engines."

"Is it workable everywhere else?" Faith asked

"What about Angel's torture chamber?" Gunn joked

The two women gave him an odd look. "That's not funny." Fred said

"Just a wee bit," Faith said "Maybe medical should also be out. Gunn's hilariously tasteless joke reminded me people in pain often scream. But otherwise we can do this?"

"I should have the devices ready to be installed tomorrow." Fred said

"I love competency." Faith said "It's wonderful."

"What will your other reforms be?" Fred asked

"Our patrol patterns are whack. I've designed many a patrol in Cleveland. There are better ways to keep a premises secure. I'm going to train the guards the slayer way and show them how to recognize and deal with trouble in an efficient manner."

"Do you think they can handle the slayer way?" Gunn asked "I could barely keep up with the fight you and psycho slayer were having, and I was just watching."

"I could whip you into shape." Faith said

Gunn raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a whip on you?"

Fred rolled her eyes. "Get a room you two. My kid doesn't need to be around this."

"Sorry," Faith said "Thanks for the help with the alarm system idea."

"Don't forget to tell Angel." Fred said "He likes to be updated on things."

"Can do." Faith and Gunn left the lab.

Gunn tried to think of the best way to say what he wanted to say. He ended up just blurting out what was on his mind like a fool. "So did you break up with your boyfriend?"

Gunn wanted to punch himself but Faith seemed unfazed. "You move fast."

"I didn't mean to say it like that." Gunn blushed.

"Hey man, speak your mind. I called him last night."

"How'd it go? I mean I'm not trying to be- If you want to talk- That is to say-"

Faith chuckled as his statements devolved into a sloppy mess. "We had a good talk."

"Cool," Gunn said "Good,"

"He was my first shot at a monogamous relationship. I think it went pretty well, but I'm new at the lifestyle. I need time to reflect before I give it a decent shot again."

"Oh," Gunn didn't do a good job of hiding his disappointment.

"Love is so messy. Sometimes I want to be able to just unwind, ya know? For example, I know that right now you're thinking about how cool it would be if we went back to your office, locked the door, stripped to our birthday suits, and then screwed like bunnies. Why can't we just do it without worrying about what it means for the future or how we feel about each other?"

Gunn stared at her with wide eyes. "Um…" He couldn't speak.

"Is that a no?" She asked

"No. I mean yes. I mean…" He took a breath and collected his thoughts. "Are you sure?"

She turned around and headed for the elevator. "Come on, I'm a busy woman."

"Yes ma'am," He murmured

…

Angel came to a stop in front of an inconspicuous apartment building. "Wait here."

"Okay boss," Hamilton said in a jolly voice

Angel took the stairs up to the correct apartment. According to Hamilton Lindsey had been using powerful magics to conceal himself and had never left L.A. Angel knew what Lindsey wanted, but he couldn't figure out why. He had once seen good in the man, now Lindsey was trying to destroy the world. Why? Angel knocked on the door. Lindsey opened the door with a huge grin on his face. "I knew you would come Angel." He said

"You and I are going to have a conversation." Angel said

"Let's go." Lindsey stepped outside holding a coat.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going for a walk, and while we're on that walk we can talk."

Angel gave Lindsey a skeptical look. "What are you up to?"

Lindsey walked past Angel into the hall. "Let's talk about it."

…

"Harmony? What are you doing?"

Harmony crawled out from under her desk and looked around. "Is she here?"

Fred looked over her shoulder. "Who are you hiding from?"

Harmony got to her feet and brushed dust off her skirt. "The slayer." She whispered

"Faith?"

"Shhh," Harmony said "Don't say it too loud."

"Harmony Faith isn't going to stake you; you work here. Besides she isn't the Candy man; saying her name won't summon her or anything ridiculous like that."

"It's just not right, vampires and slayers working together." Harmony whined "It was perverse when Spike and the Slayer were doing it, and _doing it_, but this is almost as bad."

"Oh come on," Fred said "It's kind of inspiring, two groups with nothing in common uniting for a common cause. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?"

"No," Harmony shook her head. She sounded just as she had in high school. Fred supposed that might have something to do with the fact that Harmony was stuck at that age for the rest of her very long life. Fred felt a pang of pity for the vampire. Harmony did try. "What?"

"Huh?" Fred looked at the confused vampire.

"You had a weird look on your face."

"Oh, hormones I guess." Fred said

"That must be neat." Harmony said "Every time someone asks you a question you don't want to answer or gives you a hard time you can be like: hormones, and they can't say anything."

"No." Fred said "I don't… Don't tell anybody."

Harmony winked at her. "You can count on me."

"Thanks, I've got to go talk to the boyfriend now."

"Don't forget the hormones." Harmony said

"I do have to put up with actual hormones you know. I have a tiny person in me."

"That reminds me of a good story. There was this friend of mine who went to the circus-"

"Well I'll talk to you later Harmony!" Fred scurried away.

She entered the relative safety of Wesley's office. "Got roped into a conversation with Harmony?" He asked insightfully

"She starts out good and then you let your defenses down and-Wham!" Fred smacked her hands together. "She hits you with something dumb, vapid, insensitive, or gross."

"She tries though." Wesley said as he looked up from a pad of paper

"Yeah, but I came up here to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Are you happy?" She asked

"What?" He looked confused.

She sat down and stared into his eyes. "Wesley I need you to be honest with me."

"All right," He put the pad of paper down and gave her his full attention.

"You're not glad are you? You're not happy about the baby." Fred said

"Why do you say that?"

"I just have this feeling. I know that sounds ridiculous, but the things my feelings tell me have been pretty accurate of late. I feel like you're dreading the day this baby comes."

"You do?" He looked hurt.

"I'm not accusing you-"

"Really?" He interrupted "You're not?"

She bit her lip. She was already regretting this conversation. "I thought we talked things out, but maybe I was just being optimistic, naïve, or whatever you want to call it. Was I?"

Wesley picked up his pad of paper. She opened her mouth to protest and tell him to pay attention, but before she could he handed it to her. "Here." She took the pad, confused.

"What is this?"

"I've been thinking about names. I wrote some down and was going to ask you what you thought when we got home tonight. Maybe there's already a name you really like, but-"

Fred was staring at the paper. She cut him off. "I'm sorry." She whispered

"You shouldn't be." There were a lot of reasons he thought that. One was that he was keeping a huge secret from her. Another was that this had effected his behavior and whatever cues she had been picking up were without a doubt there. He was also very much still terrified about this pregnancy. He chose to share none of this. "This is as new to me as it is to you. I have been acting weird, but not because I'm unhappy. I love you. Being with you makes me happy."

Fred smiled. "Bringer of good news,"

"Hm?"

Fred turned the pad of paper around. "Oh right, I just like that name." He said

"I like it too. I don't want anything too common. I don't want our kid to be one of the ones that can't tell when the teacher is calling on them because a dozen kids in the class have the same name as them. But I also want a name that's not too out there. This one's perfect."

"It sounds nice." Wesley said "Don't you think?"

She stood up and walked over to him. She hugged him. "Yes,"

He returned her embrace. He tried not to think about the terrible things on the papers hidden in his desk. He tried not to think of his fears. He tried to think about nothing more than how much he loved her, but he was terrified. He was afraid for her and what her future might turn out to hold. He was afraid he would bring horrors into her life instead of joy. Maybe he was dreading the day the baby came, but only because he feared what else that day might bring.

…

Angel couldn't believe he was walking down the sewers with Lindsey McDonald. "I have to take you in Lindsey." Angel said "There's nothing you can say to change that."

"I know. I also know that you're an overdramatic idiot who will follow his sworn enemy into a dark sewer because you think he might say something interesting."

Angel chuckled. "You can't take me Lindsey."

"You'd be surprised, but I didn't bring you down here to fight you."

"Why did you bring me down here?"

"I want you to fight him."

Angel turned around. "Who?"

Lindsey began to shout. "I'm here! I'm over here!"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Me," A familiar malicious voice growled

Angel blocked a blow from a blond vampire that emerged from the shadows. "What the hell are you doing here Spike?" Angel shouted "You're letting him get away!"

Except Lindsey wasn't running away. He was watching. "Back off Angelus." Spike said

"What?!" Angel shoved Spike away. "Are you on drugged blood?"

"I'm not going to let you kill any more innocent people." Spike said

"What the hell are you talking about?" Angel demanded

Spike squinted. "You don't sound like Angelus."

"I'm not! What's wrong with you?"

"Doyle told me-"

Angel turned to Lindsey upon hearing the name. "It really pisses me off when you pull this stunt. At least it wasn't my son this time. I might not be able to hold back my anger."

"What's going on?" Spike asked "You have a son?" Spike was thoroughly confused

"I told you." Doyle said "Angelus is back. He's trying to kill me."

"Oh fuck you Lindsey!" Angel said "You think Spike can stop me from taking you in?"

Lindsey pulled something out of his pocket. "Nope," He threw some powder on the ground and a flash went off. Angel and Spike threw their arms in front of their faces and fell to their knees. Angel felt the strength leak out of him. The effect only lasted about a minute but by the time Angel could stand Lindsey was gone. An old Wolfram & Hart business card he had kept for some reason was on the ground. On the back he had scribbled: 'See you soon pal.'

Angel turned to Spike. "Do you ever not mess things up?"

"I don't understand." Spike said "That wasn't Doyle?"

Angel looked away, fighting a hurricane of emotions. "Just get out of here Spike."

"But-"

"Go!" Angel heard wet footsteps. "Wait."

For a moment the footsteps continued, then they stopped. "What?"

Angel needed to be practical. Lindsey needed to be dealt with. "That man manipulated you; he made a fool out of you. Do you want revenge?" Angel felt weird. This was how Wolfram & Hart operated. They played people. Lindsey did that, now Angel was. He needed a solution to the Lindsey problem and now he was treating Spike like a device. "He needs to be dealt with."

"Who is he really?"

"A bad man."

"What does that even mean?" Spike asked

Angel sighed and then turned to face Spike. "I don't know."

"I need to get out of this city, it's not good for my health."

"You're right." Angel said "It's a rotted place."

"You should go too."

"I can't. They've got me Spike."

Spike gave Angel a look of pity. "I see what they're doing to you mate. They're driving you out of your head. They want you dead or corrupted. They'll get one if they don't get both of the options. What's worth that?" Angel couldn't tell Spike the truth, so he couldn't respond.

"I have to go. I'll see you Spike."

"You might not!" Spike called after Angel as Angel left

"I will." Angel said softly

…

Faith buttoned her blouse. "How's it look?" She asked, smoothing down her shirt

"I liked your earlier look." Gunn said with a huge grin on his face

Faith gave him a good natured shove. The shove turned into her grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her. She put her lips on his and explored his mouth. "That was fun." She breathed

"I think so." She let go of him and winked. "Can I uh…" She took his words away.

"What?" He wanted to take a picture of her expression. Each one captivated him.

"Can I take you out sometime? Maybe we could get some dinner."

She smiled. "I've got a lot on my plate right now. Maybe another time."

"Okay,"

"Hey," She flicked his chin with her index finger. "Buck up Charlie. We had fun."

She left without another word. He sat down. He needed a moment to process everything that had just happened. There was a lot to process. Faith walked down the hall and saw Harmony dive under her desk as she walked by. Faith chuckled. She came to a stop in front of the elevator and was pleasantly surprised when Angel stepped out. "Hey boss. I missed you today."

Angel looked upset, but when he saw her he smiled. "I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah I really brighten the place up."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Any time," She said "Let's talk."

"In my office," Angel walked to the office. "Get up Harmony." He mumbled

Faith followed Angel into his office. "Are you okay?" Faith asked

Angel sat down at his desk like he weighed five hundred pounds. "It's heavy."

"I see that."

"I'm carrying something around inside, something terrible Faith. Nothing can make it leave me alone. Every moment these walls move in a little closer. I'm suffocating."

Faith sat down. "Talk to me man. I'm here for you, like you were for me."

"I can't ask you to help me carry this."

"I'm pretty strong." She said "Let me help."

Angel sighed. "How was your first day?"

"Pretty good," She said "I like your crew."

Angel gave her a small smile. "Especially Gunn?"

Faith returned the smile. "You smelt that huh? Yeah, he's sweet. He's also talented."

"I don't need details." Angel assured her

"I do. Tell me what happened."

"I need to know if I did the right thing. This soul lets me feel guilt but it doesn't help me make better decisions. Sometimes I wonder what its purpose is. I form these bonds with people and then I get to watch them suffer. Is the world better off because I have this soul Faith?"

"I promise you it is." Faith said solemnly

"I'll tell you. If I don't it will explode. I'm like a time bomb."

"So tell me."

"It all begins with Darla." Angel said "I thought I was never going to see her again…"

…

Spike turned around, weary. "Who's there?"

Lilah stepped out of the shadows. "Do you remember when you couldn't leave the city?"

Spike narrowed his eyes. "How did you find me?"

Lilah ignored the question. "I can't either. I'm bound to Angel. It's detestable."

"I can understand that." Spike said

"Do you feel it?" She whispered

"What?"

"I know why you're leaving. I can feel it. The ground screams in protest."

"Have you gone mad or something?"

"Evil is coming. A fog of despair is settling. The world is making ready for the coming battle and inevitable aftermath. There is nowhere you can run to and be safe."

"I'm not a coward. I'm not running away. I'm just sick of this place."

Lilah chuckled. "You can leave this city, but not this dimension."

"Look, bugger off. I don't much care for you."

"No one does." Lilah said "Not a soul in the world."

"Boo hoo," Spike said disdainfully

Lilah caught Spike by surprise when she rushed forward and grabbed his jacket collar. "I feel it!" She gripped the leather tight in her hands. "Wasn't it better before? Don't you wish that you could be rid of it? I sold my soul William. I gave it away for a pittance. I didn't want it. Now I have nothing else in the world but this wretched thing. It lets me feel pain. I want it out!"

Spike shoved the dead woman away. "You are one messed up bird."

"How do I get rid of it?" She begged

"It's you." Spike said "You'd have to die for real kiddo."

"Tell me how. I'll do whatever it takes to escape the pain." She said desperately

"I don't know if there is a way." Spike said

"There has to be a way." She pleaded "I can feel it coming."

"What's coming?"

"I don't know. I just want it to stop."

Spike backed away. "I can't help you." Then he ran away.

…

Faith sat completely still. "Wow,"

"I know," Angel rubbed his head. Just having spilled his guts made him feel lighter, but now he had the fresh guilt of having dragged Faith into his quagmire. "It's a lot to process."

"How can I not remember being in his head?"

"Nobody remembers any of it but me and Lilah."

"Why Lilah?"

"Because the senior partners hate me."

Faith nodded. "It must have been so hard on you."

"Did I do the right thing Faith?"

"I don't know if there was anything you could have done that would be right. But you did the best you could. I couldn't have done any better Angel. I would have ended the world."

"I almost did. I got Cordelia killed."

"I don't think she'd see it that way." Faith said

"How do you see it?"

"You tried to save the world and protect your family. I don't envy your responsibilities."

"What do I do now?"

"What we all have to do, we go on."

Angel smiled. "Thank you. Thank you for being here, and for… everything."

She reached out and took his hand. "Always,"


	11. Harm's Way

Harmony ducked behind a file as Faith walked by. The slayer had been at Wolfram & Hart for a month already, but Harmony still flinched every time she saw her. When Faith was gone Harmony peeked over the file and saw Gunn looking at her. He chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing, don't you think if she wanted to stake you she would have by now?"

"She's a slayer, it's in her nature."

"Eating humans is in your nature." Gunn said "But you don't anymore."

"Yeah," Harmony said "But I want to."

"So why don't you?" Gunn asked

Harmony shrugged. "I don't know."

Gunn found that unnerving. "Well I'll see you." Gunn turned around to walk to his office and collided with Wesley. Wesley dropped a book and a pile of papers on the ground. "Sorry,"

Wesley collected his documents. "It's fine. Completely my fault,"

"Are you okay man?"

"Sure, sure," Wesley headed for Angel's office and went in without knocking.

"He's been super weird lately." Harmony said

"Yeah," Gunn said "He kind of has."

"Well I'm bored now. You can go away."

Gunn gave Harmony an odd look. "You're an interesting person Harmony."

Gunn walked to Faith's office. He knocked and was told to enter. He entered and saw Faith smile when he did. That smile was sunlight to him. "What's up?" She asked

"I just wanted to congratulate you." He said

"On what?"

"There hasn't been a single security breach the whole time you've been here."

"I've only been here a month." Faith said

"This is the first time we've gone a whole month without a security breach. Even during the old regime there was about one a week. I think the previous record is fifteen days."

"Wow, I'm good."

"You sure are."

"We should celebrate." She gave him a suggestive smile.

"I was thinking the same thing. Dinner?" He asked

"Oh dinnertime isn't for hours." Faith said "Let's party now."

Gunn chuckled. "Wouldn't it be nice to just go out?"

She shrugged. "Why complicate things? We have our friendship, we have the benefits that come with said friendship, there's no need to get greedy. We're good where we are."

Gunn was still smiling, but it wasn't genuine anymore and she could tell. "I don't understand you. We get along great, we have a lot of fun… doing what we do. Why shouldn't we take the next step? Is there something wrong with me?" He hated the way he sounded.

"There's nothing wrong with you Charlie boy." She was still using her seductive voice.

"Faith can we be serious for a few seconds?"

"I don't want to." She said

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I guess I was just confused. I thought you liked me."

"I do like you."

"Right, well I have to go."

"Charlie-" He was gone.

…

Wesley dropped the stack of papers on Angel's desk. Angel slowly looked up at the disturbed man. "Hey Wes," He said nervously "Is something up?"

"I need the truth. I don't care how terrible it is. It can't be as bad as what I've imagined."

Angel glanced down at the papers. They were all about old ones. "You've been busy."

"Tell me what happened last year, and why I don't remember."

"Wesley-"

"The next old one will be here in less than four months."

This got Angel's attention. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm not sure of anything anymore."

…

Fred knocked on Lorne's door. Lorne called her in. Fred came in looking like her usual cheerful self, but Lorne knew something was wrong. She sat down in front of his desk with her hand over the stomach six months through the process causing it to swell. "Hey Lorne,"

"Hey chickadee, how's the baby?"

She offered a weak smile. "She's great. We picked out a name."

"Really? Tell me."

She shook her head. "Not a chance. Plus I think Gunn started an office pool and I wouldn't want to give you an unfair advantage." Fred's smile was more genuine now.

"What's wrong kitten?"

"This is going to sound so ridiculous. I shouldn't even be…"

"Tell me." Lorne said

"I might have made a huge mistake."

…

Lilah and Spike finished the last bit of the scotch bottle. "Good old Lindsey," They were sitting in a sewer. Lilah could smell the sewer in as much as she was aware of the scent, but she couldn't feel it. Her eyes were aware of darkness, but it didn't impede her vision. Nothing was real. The scotch inside of her wasn't real. She couldn't taste it and it didn't get her drunk.

"So he and Angel are rivals?"

Lilah nodded. "He's up to something. Lindsey is smart, smarter than Angel."

"Do you think it will hurt his friends too?"

"You're transparent." Lilah mocked "Pathetic,"

"I'd beat you senseless for that if you could feel it."

"No you wouldn't."

He sighed. "No, I wouldn't."

"What a little bitch." Lilah said

"Fuck you." Spike said

"Why do you care about her so much?"

"She saved my life."

"Do you want to know what I think?"

"No,"

"You just want an excuse to stay in L.A. because if you leave you'll have to confront the love of your life. You think she'll reject you. You think she should reject you. So you've latched onto this very unavailable woman who doesn't need your protection to have an excuse to stay in the city you should have left long ago. She has a cabal of champions looking after her."

"If I hadn't been here Dru might have killed her. Pavayne showed me."

"He was just screwing with you." Lilah said "You didn't change anything."

"Well maybe that's because nothing ever changes."

"I didn't." Lilah looked at her hands devoid of nerve endings.

"You said you could feel something coming."

"I can. I can't feel the physical, but I have other senses, the ones of the dead."

"How bad is it?"

"I can't quantify it. It's like running a marathon and doing pretty well until you find out that a rabid dog has gotten loose and now you're running for your life. Then it catches you."

"What's the dog?"

"I don't know." She looked at her watch. "I'm late for work."

"So leave,"

"I don't want to. I'm afraid. I don't want to see what happens next."

"Well I'll leave then."

"Don't leave me alone in the dark." Lilah spoke in a monotone.

"Go into the light."

"It's all dark to me."

Spike shrugged. "Not my problem."

"I can't feel anything." Lilah said "You could do anything to me and I would only be aware of it on the most superficial level. I feel so alone because the world has moved on."

Spike approached Lilah. He touched her face. "You can't feel that?"

"No."

He grabbed her throat. "What about that?"

"No."

He squeezed. "That?"

"No," Lilah said "It doesn't hurt at all."

Spike bit into her cold skin to taste what was underneath. There wasn't a drop of blood and water had more flavor. She was even colder than him. She was pale ice. He took it.

…

"Listen to me Wesley." Angel said "We talked-"

"No." He said "I can't do this anymore. You have to tell me."

"Well I don't have to." Angel pointed out "Just saying,"

"Fine," Wesley collected his papers. "Then I won't tell you what I found out about the old ones." He stood there with the documents Angel knew he could take, but probably not read.

"Don't be petty."

"Illyria did something to me." Wesley said "Something I don't remember."

"You don't want to remember."

"Yes I do!"

Angel looked toward the door. "Don't shout." He whispered

"A lot of terrible things have happened to me in my life Angel. I remember almost all of them in vivid detail. I don't remember what happened with Lilah, but you had the guts to tell me about that. What is so terrible that not only have you kept quiet, you conspired to hide it?"

"It's worse than anything else you've ever seen."

"I have to know."

"Illyria is an old one. She's-"

"Was,"

"What?" Angel was confused by this interruption.

"She's dead. Cordelia killed her."

"Right, she was an old one. She's the worst kind of demon. The horrors she is- was- capable of are worse than anything a mere vampire is capable of. You don't-"

"Stop telling me I don't want to know."

"Telling you will do you no good Wes."

"What harm can it do?"

"Great harm,"

"How?" He demanded

"Just trust me."

"Why should I?!"

"Because I saved your life! Because you were dead and I brought you back!"

Wesley stared at Angel in disbelief. "What?"

"And it got Cordelia killed. I tried to save all of my friends and it got the woman I loved killed by that… You were dead. We should have left you that way, but we couldn't."

"I don't understand. How can that be possible?"

"The old ones-"

But Wesley already had the final piece of the puzzle. "Oh my God,"

"What?"

Wesley pulled out his list from the calendar. "They're hosts."

"Who are?"

"The people in the prophecy," Wesley said "They're hosts for old ones."

"What prophecy?"

"I was infected. You didn't kill her because it would kill me and that's why Cordy died."

Angel looked at Wesley. He looked despondent. Of course he blamed himself for what had happened to Cordelia. "It wasn't your fault." Angel said "You didn't kill her."

"You just said she died because of me, because you were trying to save me."

"It was her choice. She did what she knew was right."

"So I lived and she died. That's not a fair deal."

"Wesley-"

"You should have stopped her." Wesley said

"Hold on, this is my fault now?"

"How could you let her take that risk? She wasn't even twenty-five."

"You cannot blame me for this. I saved your life. Even after you tried to-" Angel cut himself off and looked away out his sunny windows. "I did the best I could."

"Tried to what?"

"Forget it."

"You saw to that didn't you?" Wesley said in a bitter tone

"Would you prefer to remember? Do you want to remember what you did?!"

"Yes! I want the truth."

"The truth drove you insane. This spell was the only way to save your life."

Wesley stared at Angel. "What?"

"You were crazy, literally. There was one way to save you: taking over Wolfram & Hart and using their recourses to wipe away the memories that drove you nuts. So I did."

"Why would you do that?"

"I don't know Wes, maybe because I give a damn about you."

Wesley gave Angel a suspicious look. "You're lying again."

"_I'm_ lying? That's rich. Do me a favor Wes, get out of my office."

Wesley looked stung. "But-"

"I have important work to do and dealing with your emotional problems doesn't qualify."

"Fine," Wesley turned to go.

Angel closed his eyes. "Wait,"

Wesley did, standing by the door. Angel opened his eyes. "I'm waiting." Wesley said

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm not talking about now either."

"What are you talking about then?"

"People that I care about get hurt. Doyle, Cordy, you, I just wanted to take it back."

"Take what back?" Wesley asked "What did you do?"

"Why is this so important? Why can't you just let it go?"

"Because I have responsibilities that I didn't have before. You wouldn't understand."

…

Fred bit her lip. "He acts like everything is okay, but I know him too well for that."

"Maybe you're both just nervous. It won't be long until the baby is here."

"There's a difference between anxiety and dread. He doesn't want to be a dad. I feel like I trapped him in this situation. I didn't mean to, but somehow I did. What am I going to do?"

"Fred-"

"I can't raise a baby in a home where she isn't loved."

"Fred please listen to me."

"That's why I'm here. Tell me what to do."

"I can't." Lorne said "But I can tell you something that will help you decide."

"What?"

"I've heard Wesley sing before. He's a complicated person. There is very little in his life that he is certain of. One is that he loves you. Another is that love is dangerous. People that you love hurt you. They tear you down and twist you into knots. He's so afraid of that."

"I would never-"

"Not you, him. He's afraid of doing to your baby what his dad did to him. He doesn't think you trapped him. He's afraid of trapping you like his father did to his mother."

"His mother?" Fred looked at Lorne's sad face. "What happened to her?"

"Nothing," He said "She never achieved any of the things she dreamed of. She never got to pursue happiness. She was chained to a house with a man she had stopped loving and a child that she wanted to love, but didn't. She could never summon any more feeling for him than pity."

"But that's… that's horrible." Fred said "So who loved him?"

"You," Lorne said

"I meant when he was a kid." Fred said

"You look at the world with these lovely eyes." Lorne said "You see things for what they ought to be, for what they could be. You grew up in a home with people who loved you and wanted you to be happy. That's not true for everybody. In fact, that's not true for any of us except for you. You'll make a great mom Fred, because you're so full of love. You love others with ease and they find it easy to love you. But most of us aren't like that sweetheart."

"So… can he love this baby?"

Lorne shook his head. "I can't tell you that."

"You don't know?" She asked

"I know, but only because you do. I see it in your aura. I know what you know."

Fred looked down. She was squeezing her hands. "I know."

…

"You're late." Lilah looked at her boss. She heard him, but she didn't understand.

"Yes,"

"Well get to work." Gunn was in a foul mood, but she couldn't tell.

"Right,"

Gunn watched her sit down and look through some files. "Lilah?"

"Yes,"

"What are you doing?"

"Right,"

…

"Excuse me?" Angel asked

"I'm going to be a father. I'm responsible for this baby's life."

Angel tried to keep his emotions in check. It would do no good to get angry and Wesley didn't understand the implications of what he had said. "This has nothing to do with that."

"If Illyria did something to my DNA then it has everything to do with this."

"Wesley if Fred was in danger-"

"This isn't just about Fred. It's about her and the baby. That's my kid."

Angel stared at Wesley. "You're afraid that something might happen to the baby?"

"Yes, how can I not be?" Wesley asked "That's my daughter."

Angel blinked. "I can understand that."

"No you can't. There's no way you could understand."

Now Angel was pissed, but he held it in. "Listen to me-" Gunn burst in. "Do we just not knock anymore around here?" Angel asked "Is this just a common area now?"

"Angel something serious is happening to Lilah." Gunn said

"That's great," Angel said

"I'm not kidding. She's like… a zombie or something."

Angel sighed. "I really don't care."

"So what am I supposed to do with her?" Gunn asked

Angel stood up. "Fine, I'll handle it." He turned to Wesley. "Wait here."

"I have work-"

"Wait. Here." Gunn gave Angel an odd look as he followed the man away.

…

Faith entered the lobby. She scanned the room for suspicious behavior. Everything seemed to be running smoothly. Their new reputation of not being to be trifled with was spreading quickly. Faith flipped through her clipboard. The weekly sweep for drugs that subverted psychic screenings had come up negative. She noticed a vampire come in from the parking garage. It was still weird working with them. This was a member of the steno pool back from her lunch break. What was the point in leaving for lunch? Why not just bring your blood to work with you? Faith followed the vampire discreetly. She beeped the guy who did random blood testing to make sure none of their employees were feeding on humans. She sent him the code that meant to sweep all of the vampires. Faith's slayer instincts told her that something was up with this young woman and Faith wasn't sure how far it spread. She would be cautious.

…

Angel entered the conference room Lilah was still in. He paused for a few moments and then turned to Gunn. "Find Spike, use our recourses and get him here." He told the lawyer

"Why?" Gunn asked

"Just do it." Angel said

Angel sat down in front of Lilah. "Hi," She said

"What happened?" Angel asked

"I'm slipping away. I don't have a connection to this world."

"Lilah-"

"I'm evil."

Angel stared at her. "You've done evil things." He admitted

"Don't you dare feel sorry for me." Lilah was still speaking in a monotone. Her voice had none of its characteristic strength or condescending malice. He found himself feeling the same way he had when he first saw what Billy had done to her. Yes she was evil, and yes he hated her with every fiber of his being, but she was in so much pain. "I'll make you regret it."

"Okay Lilah," He said in a sympathetic tone

"I hate you." Tears leaked down her face. "Don't you hate me?"

He shook his head.

"Why not?" She begged, finally betraying some emotion "Why won't you hate me?"

"I don't know. Hate, it's not something I find much use for. It has never helped me."

"I did awful things to you. Can't you find it in you to hate me?"

"I'm sorry." He whispered

"It's not fair. I didn't ask for love or affection, just hate. Is even that too much?"

Angel watched her sobs develop. "Why do you want me to hate you?" But he knew.

"I have to matter. I need to matter to at least one person. Don't I matter to you?"

"Lilah-"

"Please kill me." She begged "I want to die."

"You're already dead." Angel reminded her

"I thought he was a coward for wanting to die." She said "But I understand now how hard it is to not matter at all. Do you know how it feels to be pointless? To be nothing? I do."

"Is that why he tried to kill himself?" Angel whispered as quietly as he could

"I only ever loved one person, it wasn't him. I couldn't love him. Is wanting to love someone the same thing as loving them? Some might say yes, but the answer is no."

"Lilah-"

"I hurt him. You don't do things like that to people you love. Drusilla saw what I was."

"Drusilla is crazy." Angel said

"She saw the real me." Lilah said "In the wine cellar she saw my fate. She spared me so that I could feel more pain. Why did she do that?" The last sentence sent Lilah into hysterical sobbing. "Why couldn't she just send me to hell then?" Lilah clutched her shoulders.

"Listen to me." Angel said "I'm going to save you."

"Why?" She said

"Because that's what I do. But you have to do something for me."

…

Fred walked towards the hall of offices preparing herself for a conversation she didn't want to have at all. She walked to Wesley's office and saw that it was empty. She was relieved and annoyed with herself for being relieved. She turned around to go back to the lab and was surprised by Harmony. "You scared me." Fred said as her quickened pulse settled back down

"Apparently I scare everybody. I got 'randomly tested' for human blood for the second time this week and I know those test are supposed to be once every two weeks."

"They are random tests." Fred said "It's probably just a coincidence."

Harmony rolled her eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

"Well I can talk to Faith. She implemented the random blood tests. I'll ask her if there is a certain way people are selected for testing. Maybe everyone got tested today."

"Hey get back here!" They heard Faith's voice. Harmony and Fred turned around and saw one of the vampires from the steno pool running toward them. Faith and the guy who did the blood screenings were in pursuit. He fell behind in a moment. Fred and Harmony tried to get out of the way, but the vampire grabbed Fred by the throat and backed against the wall.

"Don't come any closer." The woman said "I'll snap her neck."

Faith froze. Harmony stood a distance down the hall, uncertain. "Calm down." Faith said

"I'm serious!" The vampire tightened her grip on Fred's throat. Wesley came out of Angel's office and his eyes widened. He started forward but Faith grabbed his arm.

"Fred!" He looked from her to her captor. "What happened?" He asked Faith

"Someone has been cheating." Faith said

"Just once." The vampire said "My roommate called me up today and said she had a bunch of teenagers trapped in our living room. How could I pass that up? It was just one."

"I wouldn't have come back to work." Faith said

"This is a good job." The vampire said "But yeah, bad move."

"Why didn't you just call in sick?" Harmony asked

"I didn't think of that."

Harmony rolled her eyes. "People say I'm stupid."

Faith had an idea. "You're pretty dense." Faith said

"Excuse me?" Harmony moved closer to the slayer. "What did you say about me?"

"Faith," Wesley said "I'm not sure if you noticed but-"

"Sh, I'm having a conversation Wes." Faith said

Fred stared at the two, incredulous. "You're such a bitch." Harmony said

"At least I'm not a flighty ditz still stuck in high school."

Harmony moved closer, she was now right next to the other vampire. "Back off," Fred's captor said "I will snap her like a twig if you don't back off Harmony."

"You're useless Harmony." Faith said

"Is that so?" Harmony asked

"I said-" Harmony cut the other vampire off by turning and punching her in the face. The other vampire was stunned long enough for Faith to run up and grab the arm she was using to hold Fred captive. Faith yanked the vampire back and snapped the arm. Faith pulled a stake out from inside her jacket. She drove it into the rogue vampire's chest. Dust hit the carpet.

Fred started to fall and Harmony caught her. Wesley ran over. "Are you okay?"

Harmony let Wesley take hold of his girlfriend and she backed up. "Nice one Harmony."

Harmony looked at the slayer who was complimenting her for some reason. "What?"

"I knew I could count on you."

"You did?"

Harmony flinched when Faith raised her hand, but the slayer just slapped her on the back in a gesture of camaraderie. "You're all right Harm." The slayer walked away.

Harmony stared after the slayer while Wes led Fred into his office and helped her onto the couch. "Are you all right?" She was gasping and he brushed her hair away from her face.

She stared into his eyes. "People keep trying to kill us."

"Yeah I noticed that." He said

"What kind of life is this? Every second we're here we put ourselves in harm's way."

"But are you two okay?" He asked "That's all I care about right now."

"I'm- what did you say?"

"Come on, I'll take you to medical."

"No, I'm fine. What did you say?"

"I just asked you if you were okay." He said

Fred stared at him. She leaned forward and kissed him. "We're okay."

"I'm taking you to medical anyway." He said

She nodded. "Okay,"

"I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

…

Gunn saw Faith come up to him. "Hey,"

"It looks like there isn't going to be a celebration. We had a breech."

"Yeah the news spread quick. You handled it pretty well from what I hear."

"Still, I need some consolation."

"Are you really that upset?" Gunn asked

"I'm very upset." She was lying. "Dinner is the only thing that can console me."

He grinned. "What changed your mind?"

"I just feel like having dinner." Faith said "And I've been thinking about you all day."

"You have?"

"If you want to ask me out again I have a couple of ground rules."

"Okay," Gunn said

"You can't take this relationship too seriously. I want to have fun. They say love is work, but all work and no play makes Faith a dull slayer. Let's leave the work here. I'm never going to be a sweet girl. I'm nothing like Fred. I know you guys used to go out. I won't ever give you what she did. I'll be fun, but I'm not going to be demur or feminine or any of that."

"You just reminded me why I like you so much." Gunn said

"So dinner," Faith said "Dinner I can do."

He took her hand and he kissed her. She returned the kiss.

…

Angel entered the infirmary. A nurse was taking Fred's pulse. Wesley was sitting next to her holding her free hand. "Are you okay?" Angel asked her

"Not the first time someone has tried to kill me." She reminded him

"Yeah, but are you okay?" He insisted

"Angel I'm fine. I'm pregnant, not infirm." Fred reminded him

"I heard Harmony saved you."

"Yeah, Faith had a neat idea and Harmony played her part perfectly."

"A little risky though." Wes said

"I'm alive." Fred said "I'm not complaining."

Wesley kissed her. Angel felt a twinge of jealousy. It was a weird feeling, especially to be having right now. But Angel couldn't help but remember Darla. She had been as she was before, when she had accepted her soul. When she shared Conner's she could feel love. Angel had loved her in her final hours. He had loved her when she had sacrificed herself. Angel had loved his son far more however. That child had been everything to him. Standing in this room watching these two people Angel couldn't help but think that it was all rather unfair. Why was Wesley allowed to have the girl and the baby and the happily ever after Angel had wanted and could never have. Why, when he hadn't wanted it before, and why when he was instrumental in taking Conner away? It wasn't fair, but Angel remember something Illyria had said. It was a random memory, but it put everything in perspective. Suddenly the envy was gone. Illyria had told Angel that justice was cruel. Maybe justice would demand that Wesley continue to be punished for what he had done. Maybe justice would deny him a family when he had done the same thing to another. But if that was the case Angel didn't want justice. He wanted his friends to be happy. He wanted all of them to be happy. "What did the doctors say?" He asked

"They said I'm fine and so is the baby." Fred told him "So stop worrying."

"I'll always worry about you." Angel said "That's what friends are for." Wesley gave him an odd look. Angel ignored it. "But if you really are fine I need your help."

"Of course," She said

…

Spike heard the slayer sneaking up on him but pretended not to. "You're obvious." She said "You've known I was here for five minutes. You change the way you walk when you're pretending to be nonchalant." Spike turned around to look at Faith. "That's better."

"Buffy is sneakier." He said

"I like to make my presence known." Faith said

"Did Angel send you to spy on me?"

"We're playing fetch. You're the bone."

"You do realize you just called yourself a bitch right?"

"Disappointed I beat you to the punch?" She asked

"A little bit,"

"Angel wants to know what happened to Lilah."

Spike shrugged. "She went bonkers. It wasn't my fault."

"Do you know why she lost it?"

Spike shook his head. "She said she couldn't feel anymore."

"And then you had sex?" Faith asked

"Yes nosy, we did." Spike said "Is that a crime?"

"There's no need to get defensive." Faith said "It was just a question."

"She couldn't feel that either. She can't feel anything."

"Is that all?"

"Also something is coming, something bad."

"Yeah, because that's news." Faith rolled her eyes. "Thanks for your help."

…

Fred calibrated the machine. It hadn't been used since it had recorporealized Spike and Pavayne all those months ago. "Are you sure this will work?" Angel asked "Lilah is a different kind of dead than Spike or Pavayne were. It might not have the same effect on her."

"Angel this was your idea." Fred reminded him

"But I just want to be sure this will work."

"It should work, that doesn't mean it will." Fred said

Angel backed away from the machine and stood next to Lilah. "Do you remember the terms of our agreement?" Angel was purposely sounding formal and official, even though their agreement was not binding in any way. "There will be no more using your talents for evil."

Lilah rolled her eyes. "I remember." Lilah slipped a small pouch of powder into Angel's hand without anyone noticing. She had warned him that tampering with someone's memories too many times could have side effects, but Angel had made his choice. "What do I do?"

"Just stand there." Fred said

Lilah waited. A million thoughts went through her head in the span of seconds between when Fred spoke and when Fred flipped the switch. Lilah thought about when she had been a little girl and her mother had brushed Lilah's hair for her in front of the vanity so Lilah could watch because Lilah liked to watch her mother brush her hair. She thought about the man she had poisoned to get this job. She thought about all the times she condemned people to suffer horrible fates without flinching. She thought about the man she didn't want to suffer. Why had that one person changed her mind? Was it because seeing someone who had done so much good lose their way reaffirmed her own life choices? Was it because it made her think the opposite was true and people could be redeemed? Was it because he understood the way the world worked just like she did? She remembered the world not making sense anymore. She remembered not being able to be sure it ever had. She remembered everything. Was that a gift? She thought about how Angel had suffered to keep his secrets. Was knowledge a curse? She remembered promising the senior partners she would take Illyria down. She hadn't. Lilah felt a wave of energy pass through her and ground her. All of a sudden she was in this plane. She screamed in pain. Gravity pushed down on her as it had not before. She collapsed to her knees and clutched her head. "Oh God!"

"What happened?" Wesley was asking that. He sounded more curious than concerned.

Lilah snickered. "It worked moron."

"Oh yay, Lilah's back." Fred said sarcastically "Goody,"

Angel watched Lilah struggle to her feet. She stumbled but managed to keep her footing this time. She looked around. "Wow," She breathed "Look at all of the colors."

"Are you all right Lilah?" Angel asked, wondering if he really cared and why

"No," She shook her head. "Getting there," She wandered out of the lab.

"Umm… Should we go after her?" Fred asked

"She'll be fine." Wesley said "Returning to life must be…" He stopped.

"Wesley?" Fred touched his hand.

Well it was now or never. Angel was doing this. "Can I ask for one more favor Fred?"

"Sure,"

"Can you go get Gunn? I need to talk to him."

She gave him an odd look. Why didn't Angel just call Gunn? "Okay," She left.

Wesley crossed his arms. "That was a little obvious."

"I just wanted to finish our earlier conversation."

"Are you going to be honest with me?"

Angel had his hands behind his back and emptied the pouch of powder Lilah had handed him discreetly into his right hand. "No Wes, I'm not. I want to tell you one true thing though."

Wesley was confused and annoyed, but curious of course. "What?"

"I regret a lot of things in my afterlife. But even after everything that has happened these last few years I can't bring myself to regret asking you to stay for breakfast. Isn't that weird?"

"That's really nice actually, but-"

Angel lifted his hand and blew against the powder. The powder hit Wesley in the face and he started coughing. He waved his hand in front of his face to dispel the dust. "What-"

"What were we talking about?" Angel asked

"We were talking about… Fred. Weren't we?"

"I think we were." Angel said "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that I… I'm very nervous about this pregnancy."

"Don't be nervous, you'll be a great father." Angel smiled at his friend. Was he lying to the man? Angel didn't think so. "This might not sound as encouraging as I mean it to, but you know everything to not do. Don't worry about the past, just think about the future. It looks like it's shaping up to be a nice one. Besides, Fred wouldn't have a kid with someone she didn't think was up to the job. She's a pretty good judge of character, so you must be capable."

"Sometimes she just sees the best in people." Wesley said

"Well that explains why she likes looking at you. There's a lot to see."

Wesley gave Angel an odd look. "Thank you,"

"I'm just being honest."

They walked out of the lab together. Lilah was sitting in the hall leaning against the wall staring up at the ceiling. Angel knelt down next to her. "Lilah?" He asked "Do you need help?"

She turned to look at him. She grinned. She brought her mouth to his ear and whispered a soft condemnation. "You're a very bad man. You know that right?" When she pulled away he saw that she was herself. This was Lilah. She wasn't an insane prophetess like Drusilla, she was just a normal woman. He shivered. She smiled. "I remember our deal. I'll keep it."

"Good," He backed away, perturbed.

…

Lorne called for the person knocking on his door to enter. Wesley came in. "I thought I would be seeing you." Lorne said "How's Fred? I heard about the crazy steno vamp incident."

"Fred's fine." Wesley said "She's very strong."

"Well that's the God's honest if I've ever heard it. She really is."

"I um… actually came to talk about something else though."

"Oh?" Lorne was intrigued.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not one for talking about my feelings."

"I actually have noticed. Everyone has. It's very annoying. Please continue."

Wesley took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I feel weird. I have this nagging feeling at the back of my mind like I'm… forgetting something. It won't go away. It's… driving me nuts."

"That's not good." Lorne sounded concerned. "Are you forgetting something?"

"Yes. I mean no. It's a very powerful feeling. Whatever I'm forgetting is very important but I can't remember what it is and I… My head is telling me there isn't anything."

"Can you just ignore the feeling?" Lorne asked

Wesley shook his head. "No," He paused. "Yeah I can."

"You're being very inconsistent." Lorne said

"I know. Is there anything I can do? This is very disturbing."

"Try singing." Lorne said "Maybe I'll see what's up."

Wesley tried to clear his thoughts and think of a song. He opened his mouth to sing and then he stopped. "Never mind," He got up to go. "I don't know why I bothered you over something so silly. I'm fine. I'm just nervous about the baby and it's making me act weird."

"Wes I really think you should sing."

"I'm fine." Wesley started to leave. "Can we keep this conversation between us?"

"I… sure."

"Thanks Lorne." Wesley left.

Something was wrong. Lorne knew it.

…

Faith entered Angel's office smelling like Gunn. "I'm heading out boss."

"Bye Faith," He whispered

"Are you okay boss-man?"

"I'm fine. Good work today."

"Is everything okay with-" She looked around. "The top secret thing."

"Yeah, thanks again for letting me confide in you. It really helped."

"Anything for you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Angel waved as she left. Faith hesitated in front of the elevator. Her senses told her that something was going on with Angel. Her senses were rarely wrong. She started to head back and check on him again. Gunn exited his office. "Hey," His grin was wide and beautiful. "Are you ready for our big date?" He held out his arm to her. "I'm ecstatic myself."

She smiled. She kissed him. "Let's blow this joint."

Angel looked out of the window in his office. Was Lilah right? The idea was unappealing to him for several different reasons. "I did what I had to do. I did the right thing." But he didn't believe a word of it. He headed upstairs and went into his bedroom. He picked up his picture of Cordelia and looked at her face. He touched her cheek. "Tell me what to do."


	12. You're Welcome

Angel sat in front of his coffee table pouring over the documents Wesley had brought into his office before Angel had erased his memory. Angel had been trying to make sense of them for the past month and he was now officially nervous. In point of fact he had been nervous from the first time he had tried to read these documents, but it was worse now. The only person who could tell Angel what was in these important papers was the one person Angel had to make sure never saw them. "Why didn't you ask him what was in them before you wiped his mind?"

Angel jumped to his feet and turned around, pulling a battle ax out from under his couch while he did so. He stared at the person who had spoken and dropped his ax. Angel's eyes began to fill with tears. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real. But when he saw her standing there looking as young and beautiful as she had ever been, with a soft light resting on her skin, standing next to a familiar Irishman, Angel knew who they were. This couldn't be faked, not this well. "How?"

"Don't go getting all weepy on our account." Doyle said "That's just awkward."

Angel ran forward and then froze. He was afraid to touch them. "But I saw you…"

Cordelia put a warm hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes. Tears slipped through his eyelids and ran onto her hand. He felt her lips touch his forehead. "We need to talk honey."

He opened his eyes and stared at them. "I've made so many mistakes."

"That's why we're here." Cordelia said

…

Lindsey knew that his tattoos shielded him from surveillance, but that didn't make walking into Wolfram & Hart any less nerve-wracking. He had a mystical counter measure for every security feature Sirk had noticed the slayer implementing. Lindsey just needed to walk into one office and take his bounty, then he would leave. Sirk would alert him if anyone approached.

…

Faith noticed Lilah just standing in front of a window. "Don't you have work to do?"

Lilah reached out and touched the glass. "I wonder when I'll be like I was before."

"A little advice," Faith said "No one is ever like they were before."

"Someone should tell Angel that."

"What do you-"

Angel came out of his office with two people following him. Lilah and Faith stared at the three people in disbelief. "Huh," Lilah said "I didn't see that coming. Strike what I said before."

"Faith," Angel said "You remember Cordelia, and this is Doyle."

Doyle stepped forward and shook the stunned Faith's hand heartily. "I am most pleased to make your acquaintance miss." Doyle said "I've seen you at work, I'm a big fan."

"Thank you," Faith managed to get out "Aren't you…"

"Dead? Yes, but when has that ever been a problem?"

"Cordelia!" Gunn had just exited the elevator. He ran over to her. "Oh my God Cordy!"

She reached out and touched his face. "Hey Gunn,"

He put his hand on top of the one on his cheek. "How is this possible?"

"The powers owed me a favor. No one leaves paradise, but who said two old demon hunters can't take a twenty-four hour vacation to see some old friends?"

"So this is only for a day?" Angel asked

"A little less than," Cordy said "I have a few messages to deliver when I leave."

"I have to go get Fred, and Wes, and Lorne." Gunn said

"Good idea," Said Cordy

Gunn hesitated, but then he removed himself from her presence to go tell his other friends what had happened. Cordelia turned back to Angel. Lilah and Faith were watching these events unfold in awe. "You can go Lilah." Cordelia said "We're going to have a meeting."

"I love meetings."

"Get lost Lilah." Angel said

"I can go too." Faith said as the lawyer left "I don't want to intrude."

"Angel told you the truth, so this involves you too. Let's go into his office."

Someone they hadn't considered exited the elevator. Harmony gasped and dropped a mug of coffee onto the floor, staining the carpet dark brown. Angel didn't blame her. "Cordelia?"

Cordy smiled. She approached her old friend. She put her hand on her face like she had Gunn and kissed her forehead. Harmony stood still and then smiled. "I'll see you later Harm."

"See ya Cordy,"

"What did that do?" Angel asked as the four of them entered his office

"I'll tell you later. First thing's first, old ones."

Faith became nervous. "Do you mean like Illyria?"

"Lilah told you the senior partners' plan right?" Cordelia asked Angel

"She told me the senior partners want me to kill the other old ones so that they can have the world to themselves." Angel said "But the only reason we stopped Illyria last time was you."

"That's why I'm here. For the most part we can't see the future when you're at Wolfram & Hart, anything that happens while you work for them is off limits to us until it has already happened. But there are things we can tell you and a few things we can give you." Cordelia said

"Anything you can do is appreciated." Angel said

"First Doyle is going to tell you two about the old ones. I'm going to go say hi to a few old friends before they come running in here. I'll be back though, promise." Cordelia left.

Angel stared at Doyle. "It's so incredible to see you again. I've missed you."

"The feeling has been mutual pal." Doyle said

"I tried to honor your memory, your… sacrifice." Angel was tearing up again.

"You have."

"I did terrible things." Angel said

"You did great things too, this little lady can attest to that."

"Yes she can." Faith said "Although she's not little."

"Fair point, now old ones. There are seven. Each is unique. The Wolf, Ram, and Hart are allies, but they are very different. The Wolf is obsessed with order and balance. She cannot abide chaos in any way. Humanity is a chaotic race, so she desires their destruction. There is another old one who is her antithesis. She is the embodiment of chaos. Her name is Es. The Ram is infatuated with suffering. She is pain. She work with the Wolf because destruction and pain work well together. There is an old one who loves happiness as dearly as the Ram loves pain. This is the nameless one. She is quite insane. The Hart is the most fearsome of all the old ones. She adores conflict. She wants it to go on forever, constantly escalating. She created the first cold war, and every one that followed now that I think about it. She creates larger and greater threats so that the PTB have to respond. She doesn't want to win. She just wants the fighting to go on."

"I remember Holland Manners telling me about that." Angel said

"You remember Illyria. She wants to destroy everything that is not hers. She is a possessive destructive force. She loves only herself. The last old one is Troy. She is obsessed with beauty, aesthetics. The only thing all seven of them have in common is that they all want this world for themselves. We don't know what order they'll come in, but we do know that the senior partners don't want to come back until all of their brethren are dead. They think you can eliminate the other old ones. We think so too. But it will be a hard and dangerous task."

"What about Illyria?" Faith asked "Is there a way to get rid of her?"

"Only one," Doyle said "And Cordy said it's not an option."

"I wouldn't suggest killing Wesley," Faith said "I meant is there a way to free him."

"I know what you meant." Doyle said "He's stuck with her."

"When will the next old one be here?" Angel asked

"About six weeks,"

"What?! I thought I had twice that time!"

"Prophecies are an inexact science." Doyle said "Or so I'm told."

"So since Cordelia can't help," Faith said "Can I have her superpowers?"

"I doesn't work like that." Doyle said "Only one person can have them. Cordelia was supposed to battle all seven old ones. The PTB didn't count on her unwillingness to sacrifice a loved one. I could have told them that no one can predict Cordelia. She's a class all her own."

…

Fred glared at her partner. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing." She said

They were in her office. She was snacking on some Chinese food and he had yet another horrible excuse to be loitering in her office. "What am I doing?" Wes asked innocently

"You're keeping tabs on me."

"No I'm not." He insisted. "I just love being around you."

Fred rolled her eyes. "I'm not due for at least three more months. So you can stop spending all of your time here. When I go into labor, you will know. I'll call you."

"I should hope so." He said

She grinned at him. "I'm not kidding. If you keep hanging around here I'll put you to work filing lab reports and reading the mass spectrometer." She flinched at an uncomfortable sensation in her stomach. The bigger this baby got the harder she kicked. Fred squirmed.

"Are you okay?" This was why she didn't want him around all the time. Every time she gave even the smallest indication that she was so much as uncomfortable he panicked. Even her occasional bout of morning sickness freaked him out. It was both sweet and annoying.

"I'm-"

Lorne and Gunn burst into her office. "You guys have to come upstairs!" Gunn said

"What happened?" Wesley asked, concerned "Is somebody hurt?"

"No, it's amazing! Just come on!"

Fred and Wesley exchanged an odd look, but followed their friends. They got upstairs in time to see Cordelia exit Angel's office. Fred gasped. Cordelia waved. "Hey guys."

"Well butter my buns." Lorne said "I see it but I don't believe it."

"Is this some kind of illusion?" Wesley asked

"Don't you know me?" Cordelia asked

"You can't be… You're dead."

Cordelia walked up to him and kissed him, right on the lips. It was a very odd thing for her to do, although they had long since passed the oddness threshold. He felt something when she kissed him. He felt the nagging sensation in the back of his mind flee. All the doubts and all the worries that had been waking him up at night the last month vanished. The fog he had to squint through to see what was going on around him was lifted. Suddenly the world snapped back into place with a brilliant clarity. Cordelia's lips only touched him for a second, but the whole world changed in that second. "You know it's me right?" She asked "You remember?"

"Sure, yeah. It's you." He whispered

"Sorry Fred." Cordelia turned to the heavily pregnant young woman. "I wasn't trying to steal your man, not that I could." Cordelia looked at Fred's stomach. "She's so pretty."

"How can you tell?" Fred asked

"I just can, and I love the name you picked out. You're going to be a great mom."

"Thanks Cordy."

"I'm not trying to compliment you." Cordelia said "I saw the future, I speak facts." She turned back to Wesley. "So know I speak the truth when I tell you you'll be a great dad."

"Thank you." He said with painful sincerity

"I've been watching you guys, all of you." She looked at Gunn and Lorne. "Not in a creepy voyeuristic way, although that's almost the only way to watch Gunn these days since he can't get enough of the pretty slayer, but let's not digress. Sometimes I want to slap all of you on the back of the head. But you're doing pretty well all things considered." She smiled at all of them and then slapped Wesley in the back of the head. "I just needed to do that."

"Ow, why'd you hit me?"

"Because you're the one that pissed me off the most besides Angel. Don't worry he's going to get his. You just don't want to be happy. I don't mean to take you to task in front of a crowd, but you know me. Something great happened to you. Enjoy it!" She shook her head.

"Yes mom," Wesley teased

"Oh I'll kick your ass. You know I will."

"Hey," Fred said "Leave my baby-daddy alone. Gunn and Lorne screwed up a bunch."

"Unlike you Fred?" Cordelia asked

"I'm pregnant, I'm allowed to screw up." Fred said "I've got a lot to deal with."

"So how are you here?" Lorne asked Cordy "Why are you here?"

"It's a great story." Cordelia said

…

Lindsey whispered into his cell phone while he stood in the bathroom stall. "What do you mean the seer is here? She's dead you idiot." Lindsey listened. "What are you talking about?"

Sirk stood around the corner spying on the five people. "She's right in front of me."

"Maybe it's just someone who looks like her." Lindsey suggested

"Don't patronize me McDonald." Sirk said "It's tedious."

"What are you doing?"

Sirk turned around and looked at Harmony. "Go away troublesome pest."

"Who are you talking to?"

Sirk sighed. It was best to eliminate the problem. He pulled a stake out from inside his jacket and turned on Harmony. Harmony dodged faster than he thought she could. The vampire screamed for help and then fled down the hall. Sirk dropped his stake and ran for the stairs.

Lindsey sighed as he hung up. It seemed that this was going to get messy. Well that was just fine, maybe he wanted it that way. He was prepared. He left the bathroom and headed for the stairs to go confront his old enemies. He put a hand in his pocket. Timing was key.

…

Cordy heard the scream. They all faced the direction it came from and saw Sirk run past them to the staircase. "Hey that guy works for me." Wesley said "I didn't know he was evil."

Gunn ran after Sirk while Wesley went to see where the scream had come from. The door to Angel's office opened and he came out with Faith and Doyle. "What happened?" Angel asked

The walls around them began to shake and crack. Gunn hauled Sirk back over the group and in front of Angel. "Umm… Why are the walls doing that?" Lorne asked "They're not supposed to do that." Dust flew down from the ceiling to rest on their heads and shoulders.

Lilah came running into the room. She looked upset. "Who activated the failsafe?!"

"What's the failsafe?" Angel asked

Lilah rolled her eyes, still managing to be condescending in her terror. "Do you ever read your paperwork? The failsafe locks down the building and then brings it down."

"Why?" Fred asked

Wesley came back in with Harmony. "Tell them what you heard Harmony."

"Sirk was talking to some guy called McDonald, like the fast food place ya know?"

"Lindsey," Angel said "He doesn't quit."

"So there's no way out of the building?" Lorne asked

"If Lindsey activated the failsafe it has to be shut down." Lilah said

"Do you know how to turn it off?" Angel asked

"I know where the overrides are, not how to work them." Lilah said

"Is it magic or technology?" Fred asked

"I don't know." Lilah said "I never checked it out. It's never been used before."

"Okay," Angel said "First thing's first. Lilah show Wesley and Fred where the override switch is and let's pray the two of you can figure it out. Faith go with them." Angel didn't like sending Lilah off with Wesley and Fred. He still didn't trust her. But he was sending Faith with them and not dying was the priority right now. "Lorne get Sirk to sing. Harmony go with him and if Sirk is uncooperative you have my official permission to eat him." Angel was counting on Sirk's sense of self-preservation to stop that from coming to pass, but he didn't really care.

"Thanks boss!" Harmony said "You shouldn't have tried to stake me jerk." She told Sirk

"You're bluffing." Sirk said

"Harmony I'm not bluffing." Angel said

She clapped her hands. "Yay!"

Everyone went to their jobs. Angel was with Cordelia, Doyle, and Gunn. "Gunn just in case we can't shut down the failsafe why don't you try talking to the conduit?" Gunn nodded and left to go do that. "We're going to go find Lindsey. We're going to kick his ass." Angel said

"Just like old times." Said Cordy

"I'm excited." Doyle said

…

Lilah led Faith, Wesley, and Fred into the basement and then to a door hidden behind a collection of old filing cabinets. "It's through there." Lilah pointed to the door. "Good luck,"

"You're coming with." Faith said

"Gee, I'd love to, but…"

Faith grabbed Lilah's arm and in one motion yanked the door open and tossed the newly living woman through it. Lilah stumbled, but kept her footing. The steel hall was dim, the only light was what leaked in from the basement, which was pretty dim itself. Fred pulled a flashlight out of the pocket of her lab coat. "Are there booby-traps down there?" Fred asked wearily

Lilah shrugged. "I told you I've never been down here before."

"You used to be able to see everything in this building." Faith said "Didn't you see this?"

"I never looked."

Faith rolled her eyes. "Just stay behind me and make sure we don't get lost."

Faith started down the hall. Lilah followed cautiously. Wesley turned to Fred. "Be-"

She cut him off with a kiss. "I always am." She said

"Stay behind me." Wesley said

"What if something attacks us from behind?" Fred asked

"Okay, stay in front of me."

"Oy! Love birds! Andale!" Faith shouted

Fred followed the slayer and the evil lawyer while Wesley brought up the rear.

…

Cordelia smacked Angel on the back of the head. "Hey! Why did you-"

Cordelia was way ahead of him. "You wiped Wesley's memory."

"I had to or-"

She smacked him again. "You didn't have to the second time. That was just to make things easier on yourself. I had to put the whammy on him to get rid of the side effects."

Angel gave Cordelia a nervous look. "I didn't notice any-"

"Of course you didn't! Wes adopted your Joe stoic routine. He didn't tell anybody that his mind was slowly unraveling, and if I hadn't come when I did it would have been too late."

Angel stopped dead in his tracks. "You mean I almost-"

"I mean you've been a big dummy since you got here."

"Come on Cordy," Doyle said "Let the man get a word in edgewise."

"No, I'm pissed at him." Cordelia said, a big grin taking over her face

Angel smiled at them both. "I still can't believe you're both here."

"Cordy wasn't about to let you keep making a mess of things." Doyle said

"Yeah," Cordelia rolled her eyes. "It was all my idea. You should have heard this guy Angel, he was all: 'We have to go down there and help him. He's in trouble he needs us.' Ugh,"

"Thanks Doyle,"

"Anything for you mate, you know that."

Angel gave Cordelia his attention. "You know why I did it right?"

"Of course I do. But Angel, you have to stop this. Tampering with people's brains leads to badness. The more you take out, the less of him there is left. You're rewriting his personality."

Angel looked down, shamefaced. "I didn't think of that."

"I know you're just worried about losing another friend, but you can't control fate."

"You believe in fate now?" Angel asked

Cordelia sighed. "Each of us has to decide our paths for ourselves. You can't hack into someone's brain and take away their free will. Well you can, but it's wrong. Wesley has to decide for himself who he is and you can't stop him from making stupid mistakes any more than I can stop you from doing the same thing. I'm here to help you fix things Angel, but I know you'll make a mess of them again when I'm gone. That's okay. We all do the best that we can and when you love someone that's enough. But you can't turn him into a different person."

"I understand." Angel said "I'm sorry. I was just trying to make up for what I did."

"Angel you have to let go of the past." Doyle said

"I can't, you two are there."

"But we're here too." Cordy said "Not to sound hokey, but we're always with you."

"We watch you mate." Doyle said "We're on your team."

"That's encouraging." Angel said "Knowing I'm not alone."

"Oh Angel," Cordy said "You're never alone and you never will be. Once you've been loved you can't be unloved. We are always with you. So are Buffy, Wes, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, Faith, and even Conner. You loved them. They loved you. That isn't a part of the past; that is something that doesn't go away. Also, I'm not supposed to reveal a lot of the future, but that little girl is going to love you too. So stop worrying so damn much. You could be happy if you just let yourself be. Stop punishing yourself. Live a little. I don't want any excuses."

"Cordy I can't live a little, I'm dead."

"So am I, and I don't see what the big deal about it is."

Angel chuckled. "How do you make everything better?"

"I'm Cordelia Chase." She said "So listen to me for once because I know what I'm talking about. Stop hiding. Be honest with your friends. Faith was a good start, but you lied to her about the second spell and that was a step back. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, at least not by yourself. Everyone who is here is here because they care about you and believe in your cause. Let them share the burden. They want to do it Angel."

"This isn't their burden to bear. My sins are not theirs to atone for."

"We've all sinned." Doyle said "A memory wipe won't change that."

"I'm just so tired of burying the people I care about. I'm afraid. I could live for a thousand more years. I could watch that little girl grow up and then watch her die. I don't want to do that. I don't want to continue, I don't want it to go on and on. I can't be alone again."

Cordy wrapped Angel in a hug. "You keep not listening to me."

"Skull as thick as ever." Doyle said

Angel enjoyed Cordelia's warmth going through his skin and spreading throughout his still blood and flesh. His normally chilly temperature heightened. "I miss you so much." A single tear escaped the vampire's face. "I tried to keep things together without you. But things keep going wrong and I keep making mistakes. I didn't notice what was going on with Gunn until it almost got Wesley killed. I recorporealized Lilah and who knows what will come of that-"

Cordelia stopped his mouth with a kiss. "Just shut up Angel."

"Hear, hear," Doyle said

"I'm all for not having to listen to this nonsense anymore." A familiar voice said

"You," Cordelia said

When they all turned to face Lindsey they saw he was holding a long hollow silver tube and he had his usual cocky grin on. "I have to admit I'm curious. I thought you were dead-dead."

"We are." Cordelia said "We're just that good."

"You can't save him." Lindsey said "That vampire is mine."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "This creepy disgruntled fan boy obsession you have with Angel doesn't suit you Lindsey. Why don't you collect antiques or old fancy wines like normal freaks?"

"Normal freak?" Doyle asked

"Shush honey, I'm talking."

Angel raised his eyebrow at the expression. "Shut up bitch." Lindsey said

"Hey!" Doyle protested "Don't talk to her like that."

Lindsey aimed his silver staff at Angel's chest. "A time of reckoning is coming vampire."

"What are you going to do?" Angel asked "Bore me to death?"

Cordelia snickered. Lindsey ignored her. "You might be able to escape by the skin of your teeth when you're playing an insane vampire, the senior partners, or a member of your team who's too smart for his own good, but I know you. I know how to hurt you and I'm willing to go there regardless of the consequences. Illyria will rise again when you are a broken shell."

"So that's a yes then on the boring bit?" Doyle asked

Angel barely managed to dodge a burst of energy coming from the silver staff. Doyle and Cordelia seemed unconcerned. Angel supposed it was because you can only die once. Well twice if you're a vampire, three times if you're Buffy, and four if you're Darla. So you can actually die a multitude of times. But Doyle and Cordelia were truly and well moved on. His heart remained a hunk of dead flesh, but it ached at the thought. Lindsey aimed at Angel again and Angel charged the man to knock the staff away. A bolt of energy grazed Angel and he hit the floor, out of this fight for the foreseeable future. "Tailored for vamps," Lindsey said "I don't want him dead, but I do want him to suffer. When he wakes up in the rubble smelling his friends' corpses do you think that will do the trick? He seemed rather torn up about your passing at least."

A flash of white light knocked Lindsey on his ass. "I thought we weren't-" Doyle started

"Not now sweetie," Cordelia said "We have to help Angel."

…

Angel dreamt while he slept. His dreams were mostly memories. He remembered telling Wesley before Wes had even started working for him right after the man had gotten to Los Angeles that Angel had always had a connection to those he had sired. He could sense when they were nearby. Angel could feel her now as he slept. She whispered in his ear. Angel remembered all the fun they had. It had been fun hadn't it? He remembered a pale child in his arms that he offered to her like a bouquet of flowers. She tittered with joy while Darla rolled her eyes at the pointless romanticism. Angelus loved it, but she was more pragmatic in her cruelty. She didn't understand the artistry of it. Dru got it. Spike got it too, but he was never as fun or as good as his beautiful sire. Spike was good for other things, fun things, but he was no Dru. Drusilla could see what he saw. Spike saw that there was something there, but Drusilla saw what it was. Angelus hated having to explain himself. That was never necessary with Drusilla. She not only helped him with his art, but she added her own perfect touches. She was unpredictable and she was everything he wanted from her and more. She was his best work, his magnum opus.

…

"How did you manage not to get detected by the readings?" Lorne asked

"Old watcher technique," Sirk said "That ponce Wesley would probably have used it before if it didn't require a blood sacrifice. He's squeamish like that." Sirk smirked

"Hey," Harmony said to the man bound to a chair in Lorne's office "You're not allowed to talk about the boss's friends like that. Or is he?" She gave Lorne a questioning look

"Free speech," Lorne said "But he is our hostage, so…"

"Do you want me to hit him? I totally will."

"We don't really do torture." Lorne said

"If you're worried about the weight on your immortal soul, I don't have one."

Lorne shrugged. "What can it hurt? Besides him I mean."

Harmony grinned and then clapped her hands again. "This is the best day ever."

"Even though this building is about to come down on top of you?" Sirk asked

Harmony shrugged. "As long as my head doesn't come off I'm fine with it." She punched Sirk in the jaw. His head snapped back. "Did that hurt?" She said in the voice of a woman asking her boyfriend if her first shot at making his favorite dish had come out right "Did I pull back?"

Lorne shifted uncomfortably. Talking big to get results was one thing, but he hadn't actually envisioned it getting to this point before Sirk relented. Torturing a human reminded him too much of home. "Please sing." Lorne asked as much for himself as for the man in the chair.

"Piss off," Sirk said "The watcher's academy trains us to be resistant to torture. I heard your buddy failed that class three time before graduation. His dad was sore about it."

"I only hit you once." Harmony said "I can keep going."

"It won't do any good."

"Yay! That means I can eat you! I pulled back on purpose on that punch. I really want to eat you, so I don't want you to talk." Harmony's face transformed. She stepped behind the chair and got to her knees. "It's been so long." She moaned before she bit into Sirk's neck

"Ow! What the fuck! I didn't think-Okay! Okay! I'll talk!"

Harmony opened her mouth and stepped back. As her face returned to the likeness of a beautiful woman it contorted into a pout. "I only got a taste." She licked a drop of blood off of her lips. Harmony sat down in Lorne's chair and glared at the cooperating hostage.

"Can I just tell you everything I know? Singing is so-" Harmony jumped to her feet eagerly and Sirk burst into song. "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down."

Lorne's eyes widened in shock. "We have to get downstairs."

"Why?" Harmony asked

"Wes and Fred won't be able to shut off the failsafe."

…

Gunn looked around the empty whiteness. "Hello!"

A gentle purring reached his ears. Gunn turned around and was surprised to see himself staring at him. "It's good to see you again councilor." The conduit stuck out its hand, perfectly imitating Gunn's mannerisms right down the hint of irony in his voice when he spoke like that.

"Why do you look like me?"

"I am you. I own you. Did you think it was over because that bitch shot Sparrow?"

Gunn froze. "What do you mean?"

"You can't save him. None of you can. There are consequences to everything." Not-Gunn pulled a golden pocket watch out of his pocket and held it by a golden chain. It tapped the watch so that it swung like a pendulum. "Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Do you hear that?" Gunn could hear the watch ticking. "You don't need our help to stop Lindsey, he is a fly, a mite, he is like you."

Gunn stepped back as though slapped. "What?"

"You are but a pawn in this game. You are one of Angel's soldiers. Lindsey was ours until he was captured. That is how the game is played. Pieces shuffle about and are replaced as they gather wear. We love playing with you, but there are dozens of you." Gunn stared at his own smile, twisted into something profane. The golden watch continued to swing. "The vampire has played with the rules, he has played with heavy forces. Now he pays for the privilege."

"You said we could stop Lindsey without your help."

"Lindsey? Oh yes," Gunn saw his own fist slam into his face. Gunn reeled back, but remained on his feet. He glared at the conduit. "It's not Lindsey you have to worry about. It's not Lindsey who will hurt you. We would tell you how to fix the future, but our old friend has some power yet in the world. We see little, flashes of terror and blood." Not-Gunn's face was gleeful.

"What's going to happen?"

"If we cannot prevent the inconvenience we can at least enjoy it."

The white room faded away. Gunn was standing in front of Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia while the latter two were staring at Lindsey. Gunn ducked away from the weapon in Lindsey's hand, but Lindsey ignored him. The former lawyer ran away from the trio and the collapsed vampire on the ground. Cordelia ran after him and grabbed his shoulders. She tossed him into a wall and Gunn heard the sound of a busting noise. Lindsey pulled a device out of his pocket and shoved it toward Cordelia. A burst of something like electricity, but magical, erupted out of the device and ran through Cordelia. The white light around her was stained blue for a moment and she slumped to the ground. Gunn ran for Cordelia while Doyle knelt down next to Angel to see if he was okay. "Cordy!" Gunn cried "Cordelia are you all right?!" He grabbed her hand.

Cordelia got up with ease, not even using his offered assistance. "I'm dead."

"Right," Gunn turned around. "What happened to the boss?"

"He'll be all right." Doyle said "As soon as we give that twit a severe talking-to."

"And kick the shit out of him." Cordelia said

"That was implied." Doyle said

…

Faith, Lilah, Fred, and Wesley stared at the large metal cylinder. It was smooth, its surface holding no symbols, dials, notches, or anything they could work with. They could feel its power, surging through the building, binding, tearing. The power clawed at their feet from the floor, but this power wasn't built for flesh. Still they felt it. This thing was going to bring the building down around their heads. "What do we do?" Fred was beginning to get nervous.

Wesley took her hand. "We can try a few revealing incantations."

She squeezed his hand. She tried to clear her mind of fear and focus only on the task they had before them. "That's-" She put her hands on her stomach and grimaced in pain.

"Fred!" Wesley grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from toppling over.

She moaned in pain. "All this… energy or something. I'm having a reaction."

Faith approached them. "Wes you need to do those incantations. I'll take care of her."

"But-"

"Wesley," The authority of a slayer saturated her voice. "You need to do the spell."

Wesley let Faith take Fred and then he went over to the tall metal cylinder. Faith helped Fred over to the wall and then helped her sit down. Fred squeezed her eyes shut. "Whatever is coming out of that cylinder, it's a lot of power. It's-" Fred paled and sweat formed on her skin.

Faith pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped Fred's brow. "It's okay."

"No, no I'm not okay. I think she's-" Fred arched her back in pain. "She's coming."

"Who- oh no." Faith said

"Wait. What!" Wesley started to come back over.

"Wesley all odds are that this thing is what's doing this to her so if you really want to help do the fucking spell!" Faith yelled "Now!" This was one of the few situations life could throw at Faith that she was completely unprepared for. "Hold on Fred, just… hold it."

Lilah snorted in derision. "She doesn't have to go to the bathroom, she's having a baby."

"Well then you do something." Faith said out of frustration

Faith hadn't actually expected Lilah to do anything, but the formerly deceased lawyer went over to Fred and knelt down next to her. Faith just stared as Lilah put her hand on top of Fred's stomach. "Are you having contractions? If so they might be Braxton Hicks."

"Don't touch me." Fred hissed

"I'm trying to help you." Lilah said, exasperated

"Why would you do that?"

"I've always been a team player. Maybe I just want to get in the boss's good graces and there's no faster way to do that than to help you out. I can only play the saving Wesley card so many times before he realizes there are a few holes in that rationale." Lilah said

"Or maybe you just want to do something terrible to me."

"If I wanted something terrible to happen to you I could just sit back and watch it happen instead of coming over here and helping you. Has your water broken yet?" Lilah demanded

"It's just a pressure. I can feel her pressing. She wants out." Fred said, clearly in pain

"Sometimes stress can cause premature labor. So what you need-"

"It's that energy pulse thing!" Fred shouted "I know what it is."

"You need to calm down." Lilah said with unusual softness

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

"What's her name?" Lilah asked

"Why should I tell you?" Fred asked

"Listen to me. If you want to stop this from happening, and it's way too soon so I think you probably do, then you need to stop panicking and do what I say. What's her name?"

Fred bit her lip and hesitated. "Evangeline,"

Lilah restrained a roll of her eyes. "Okay, you need to convince Evangeline that everything is okay and she should stay right where she is. So just regulate your breathing and try to keep calm. Close your eyes and think of something pleasant, a song you really like."

Footsteps echoed through the hallway behind them. Two demons, one a beautiful soulless woman and the other a kindhearted green man, entered the room. "I know how to shut it down!"

Wesley gave Lorne his full attention. "How?"

Now Lorne was distracted by Fred's pallor and her shallow breathes. "Fred-"

"Focus," Faith growled "How do we stop the building from coming down?"

"Killing us all," Lilah added

"Not helping with the calm." Fred moaned

"There's an enchantment. I couldn't understand it, but it involves this symbol." Lorne took a piece of paper out of his pocket with a hastily scribbled design on it.

Wesley took the paper and swore. "This is a complicated spell. I need stuff from my office to counteract it. We should all get out of here before we get magic cancer or something."

Lilah looked up at the shaking ceiling. "Yeah, _that's_ what I'm worried about."

…

Lindsey dropped a small bronze sphere on the ground as he ran for the hall of offices where the big wigs worked. He ran into the office where the prize he sought was located hoping that the fool who had hidden it was as boring and predictable as Lindsey had ever taken him to be in the past. As his heart pounded and blood rushed to his head Lindsey could only think of one thing. Lindsey clenched the hand whose rightful owner was dead. His own hand should be attached to his arm, but it wasn't. So many things should be different, but it all came back to the same blood-drinker. Every plan Lindsey had tried to enact had been foiled by that cold-blooded self-righteous do-gooder. Angel could get away with whatever he wanted, he had even changed reality. Now it was Lindsey's turn to corner Angel. Soon there would be no way for Angel to turn things around, to get a good draw on the river or magic things away.


	13. Why We Fight

Fred struggled to regulate her breathing as she watched a nurse fill a syringe. She didn't want those drugs to go inside her. She didn't like it. Looking around Fred saw Faith and Lorne, but none of her other friends. Lilah was there as well, but Fred pretended she wasn't. Lorne took her hand and Fred was grateful to have something to hold. "Where's-" Fred cut herself off as she remembered them all leaving the basement. Wesley had wanted to stay with her but Faith had insisted that Wesley go to his office and get the stuff for the counter spell. No one objected to Faith taking charge, in fact many seemed to welcome it. But Wesley refused to leave his pregnant girlfriend alone without some assurance. He had asked Faith to look after Fred and the slayer had sworn she would. That's why she was here instead of hunting down Lindsey.

"It's all good Fredikins." Lorne patted the hand he was holding. "Just breathe."

Faith had half led, half carried Fred here. She had sent Harmony to go find Angel and get a report from him. Lorne and Lilah had accompanied her here. Fred was glad Lorne was here, but why on earth was Lilah? "This is weird." Said the nurse "This shouldn't be happening."

"Magic," Faith shrugged. "What can you do?"

"I'm going to bring a mystic in then." The nurse decided "See if we can stop this."

"No!" Fred squeezed Lorne's hand tighter, probably bruising him. "No magic!"

"Why?" Faith asked

"I don't want my baby to have any magic in her." Fred said "I want her to be normal."

"You're the last person in the world to be worrying about that." Lilah said snidely

"Go away." Fred moaned "I don't want you here."

"I'm sticking with the slayer. There are only so many times I want to die." Lilah said

"If you want to stick with the slayer keep your mouth shut." Faith said

Lilah responded with agreeable silence. Lorne wrapped his other hand around the one he was already holding. "Sweetie-pie we would never let anybody do anything to hurt your baby."

Fred shook her head. "If she gets magic in her she'll be trapped. I want her to decide who she is for herself. I want her to have a normal childhood like I did."

Lilah had to physically turn away to hold in the dozens of snide remarks she had for those ridiculous statements. Lorne squeezed Fred's hand. "You can give her all of that, but first we have to make sure she isn't born too early. Please let us help you Fred, let us help Evi."

"Oh great, she's not even born yet and she already has a nickname." Fred lamented

"Let us help." Lorne begged

"You won't let them do anything they don't have to?" Fred asked

"I'll watch them like a hawk." Lorne promised

Fred closed her eyes. "I trust you."

…

Wesley saw that his office door was open and furthermore he saw that his office was being torn apart. Wesley didn't intend to enter into a confrontation unarmed. He went into Gunn's office to grab a sword or an ax he was sure the man had lying around. Wesley grabbed a sword and then turned around to reenter the hall. Lindsey was waiting. "Hey Wesley," Wes lifted his sword and Lindsey drew one of his own. "You smell like magic." The former lawyer said

"Did your new god give you that ability?"

"Some of her followers. She still has acolytes and they've appointed me their leader."

"What kind of an idiot worships a demon who wants to destroy the world? That is about as logical as trying to resurrect Cthulhu. Such actions can only end in failure or death."

"Or immortality," Lindsey said

"You're an idiot." Wesley said

"You're one to talk. Besides the obliviousness and the inability to even recall your own life, you follow a demon who wants to save the world. You're a study in contradictions."

"The world has never been a simple place."

"And yet you choose to bring a child into it. Why is that?"

"Not really any of your business Lindsey."

"No, I'm not here to taunt you, though it is fun. I'm here for my prize."

"And that would be?"

Lindsey drew a pistol and pointed it at Wesley. "That would be telling."

"Hey is that my gun?" Wesley demanded

"Your anti-lock picking spell was rudimentary at best."

Wesley was more offended by the fact that the gun being pointed at his head had been stolen from him than by the fact that it was pointed at his head. He recognized that this was a very disordered list of priorities. "How do you plan to get out of here with your prize?"

"I never expected for the failsafe to actually work. I knew your lot would find a way to shut it off like you always find a way to scrape by at the last second. But it should distract you long enough for me to get what I need. Then I get out of here and…" Lindsey smirked.

"Risky plan,"

"That's the only way to get anything in this world, you have to roll the dice. If you want to stop me you'll have to risk getting shot in the head. A coward like you won't take that risk."

"You don't know me." Wesley said

"You're right, maybe you're even dumber than I thought. Best to be safe." Lindsey pulled the trigger, sending a high velocity metal projectile right into Wesley's skull.

…

Cordelia and Doyle carried Angel to his office. They wanted to pursue Lindsey, but they couldn't just leave Angel passed out on the ground. "I'll go after Lindsey." Cordy said

"You want me to stay with the big man?" Doyle asked

"That'd be great." Cordelia kissed Doyle on the forehead. "Watch out for our boy."

Cordelia went out into the hallway in time to see Lindsey run by. She started after him and then saw something out of the corner of her eye. She ran into Wesley's office. He was getting to his feet with a large patch of blood on his forehead and the back of his head. She ran over to his and pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay?" She wiped the blood off his forehead.

He watched the blood on her hand disappear as the white light ate it up. "Yeah,"

"What happened?" Cordelia saw a bullet on the ground. She had to get rid of it before he saw it and put the pieces together. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want him to ask either.

"I think he shot me." Wesley said "But-"

"Never mind. Did you figure out how to get rid of the collapsy building problem?"

"Collapsing," He corrected

"Don't test me."

He smiled, just like old times. "We need to hurry, come on." He gathered the ingredients he would need from his destroyed office and then looked at her. It was strange how right it felt that she was here. She belonged here, with them. No matter how lengthy her absence if she returned she would just fit back into their lives, like a missing puzzle piece. "Unless you need-"

"The only thing I need to do," She assured him "Is help you with this spell, come on."

…

Harmony entered Angel's office. Doyle was guarding the vampire. A lot of people would be bitter that their twenty-four hour reprieve from death was being taken up by baby-sitting an unconscious vampire, but Doyle couldn't think of anything he'd rather be doing. Okay, there were a few things, but he had the feeling they wouldn't be as enjoyable now as they had been in life and he hadn't missed any of them in heaven. Doyle had come back to see Angel and he didn't feel the need to do much else. He would have preferred a conscious Angel, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? "Is he going to be okay?" Harmony asked in a tone of mild curiosity

Doyle gave the lovely blond his attention. Her stunning body barely fazed his awareness as he spoke to her. "He'll be ship shape, I can promise you that. Right as rain and all that jazz."

Harmony stared at Doyle like he was a lizard on the other side of her kitchen window standing on glass and living his lizard life. "So you were like a dead person?"

"I am like a dead person. I am a dead person." Doyle said

"And not dead like me? You were like dead for reals?"

"I _am_." Doyle said

"Do you love her?"

Doyle was disoriented by her sudden switch of focus. "Of course,"

"Is there sex in heaven?"

Doyle chuckled. "Heaven isn't like you think."

"What's it like? I'll never get to go, so you might as well tell me."

"It's hard to explain." Doyle said "The world has so many rules and most of them don't exist in heaven. Heaven is just all around better. There is no time there, and you can be with anybody, everybody, and nobody at the same time. There is always light, but it never hurts your eyes because nothing ever hurts. Even watching the people you love in pain doesn't hurt because you know that they'll join you soon. You know they'll be okay. Heaven is different Harmony."

"It sounds nice. Like it doesn't make any sense, but nice. I wish I could go."

"That'd take a miracle." Doyle admitted "But I've seen a few of those in my time."

…

Gunn waited in the lobby for Lindsey just as Cordelia had instructed. If Cordy and Doyle couldn't stop him Gunn was the last line of defense. The waiting part sucked, but they couldn't let Lindsey escape again. It just wasn't happening. A bolt of energy hit Gunn and the man cried out in pain. Gunn clawed at his chest, the seeming source of his agony. Gunn fell to his knees as all strength was sapped from his legs. Gunn hit the ground and darkness took him over.

…

Fred cried out in pain. This couldn't be happening. She whimpered as she felt Lorne take her hand. She felt a liquid sensation and she screamed again, this time not in pain but in terror for what the feeling meant. "It's started." Fred said "The stupid magic didn't do anything."

"Okay," The nurse said "We can delay labor for a few days while we give you steroids to help the baby develop faster. We can fix this. Don't worry." The nurse's assurances were a little less helpful than they might have been if the fact that she was terrified she would screw up and the new boss would decapitate her wasn't evident in her voice. "The magic should have-"

"Magic won't do anything." Faith snapped "Not with whatever Lindsey set loose running through this building. My advice would be to stick with the medical stuff."

Fred closed her eyes, blocking out the too-bright room with the too many people that were making her feel claustrophobic. She clutched Lorne's hand tighter. She wanted Wesley here to fix this. She felt like he could for some reason. This was his kid after all. "Wesley,"

Lorne patted her hand. "He'll be here as soon as he shuts the curse down."

"I need to get out there and kick Lindsey's ass. He isn't coming here." Faith said

"You promised Wes you would look after Fred." Lorne reminded the slayer

Faith held in a sound of agitation. Why had she let her feelings of obligation to the ex-watcher trick her into making such a stupid promise? Everyone would be better off if she went out there and caught Lindsey. She was the strongest of all of them and this was her job. Emotions only got in the way. Internally Faith swore to herself she would never let something like this happen again. "I'll stay." She kept the anger and frustration out of her voice. "Of course I will."

"Good," Lorne said

"Will somebody turn the lights off?" Fred asked

Faith turned around to do so, but Lilah was standing closer to the switch and had already plunged the room into semi-darkness. The light from the window in the door and from the blinking machines was the only source of illumination other than a few pale rays from an emergency light on the ceiling that didn't turn off. This light was grey. Lilah noticed that everyone looked ashy under these new lighting conditions, like they had escaped a fire. "I don't like this." The nurse complained "It's spooky. Turn them back on." Her voice trembled

"You work for an evil law firm." Faith grumbled "Spooks are a part of the deal."

"But I'm afraid." The nurse's voice was small and timid.

"Get over it." Faith snapped

"Hey, hey, ya'll," Lorne said "These negative vibes aren't doing mom any favors."

"Something is happening." Lilah said "The magic… it's effecting our behavior."

Faith felt a flush of agitation enter her blood. She opened her mouth to tell Lilah off and then realized she was right. "Can you feel it with your empathy Lorne?" The slayer asked

"I feel it." Lorne said "This is really powerful magic."

"The best the senior partners have." Lilah said "Activating the failsafe is no joke. How Lindsey even managed to do it is beyond me. He must have some powerful allies."

"And a powerful motivation to take the risk." Faith said "Whatever his reason for being here is he's risking his own life to make sure it gets done. That doesn't bode well."

Fred felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and screamed again. "Stop!"

"Oh quit your bellyaching." The nurse said

Faith walked up to the nurse and slapped her. "You're excused." The nurse hurried away.

"Didn't we kind of… you know, need her?" Lorne asked

"If she doesn't have the emotional discipline to overcome the effects of whatever is doing this than we can't trust her. We'll just have to handle the situation ourselves." Faith said

"Have any of us ever delivered a baby?" Lorne asked, sounding petrified

"My mother was a midwife." Lilah said "I helped her a few times. I've seen dozens of babies be born. That's why I hate kids so much." She smirked. "I can deliver the baby."

Fred moaned. "I don't want you to touch me."

"Would you rather the kid die?" Lilah asked

"Hey!" Faith shouted

"As a subordinate employee of this company my services are at your disposal; if you choose not to make use of them I hardly care. Decide what you want Fredikins." Lilah mocked

"Fred she's the most qualified person here to deliver your baby." Lorne said

Almost all of the color had been squeezed from Lorne's hand. "I want a hospital."

Fred's pleading whimper broke Lorne's heart. He brushed a few sweaty strands of hair from her face. "I know sweetie pie." Lorne said "But we can't leave the building just now."

Lilah watched the whole scene with contempt. She felt no pity for Fred. Lilah had seen plenty of births a lot more difficult than this one. If Fred didn't want to put up with the hard process someone as smart as her should know labor was, why did she decide to have the kid instead of taking the easy way out? Fifty years ago Lilah might understand why not, but now all she felt for pregnant women who bemoaned their fates was contempt. "We're all you have."

Lilah's voice had none of the kindness or warmth Lorne's did, but it did bring the reality of the situation home to Fred. She tried to think of another way. Fred stared up at the pocked ceiling and then turned her chocolate eyes to Lorne. "Can you do it?" She begged

"I can try sweetie, but I don't have any practical experience like Lilah does."

Fred looked at Lilah. "You'd do something to her."

"Why would I do that?" Lilah asked in a bored tone

"You hurt Wesley, why wouldn't you hurt his kid?"

"I don't do anything without a motivation. What's my motivation?"

Fred closed her eyes, thinking. "Okay,"

…

Wesley and Cordelia were halfway through the preparations. There were a million things Wesley wanted to say to her, but he had to focus. This was a delicate process. He tried to compartmentalize everything. The memories, the feelings, they had to be put away. He drew the symbols necessary for the spell of separate slabs of virgin wood. "Wesley are you okay?"

Wesley gave her a brief glance and accompanied it with a smile. "Of course,"

"She's afraid."

He dropped his chalk, thankfully not on the wood. That would have messed up the spell and necessitated starting over that portion of the preparations. He looked up again. "Fred,"

Cordy looked alarmed. "Oh God Wes, not like that. She's not afraid of you."

He felt the tension is his chest unwind slightly, but only slightly. "What is she afraid of?"

"She's a mom Wes. She's afraid she'll screw up. It's natural. But you act like you're the only one to ever be anxious over the prospect of parenthood. Hey, alliteration." She grinned.

He looked back down at the chalk and the wood. "What all can you see up there?"

His voice was so faint she wouldn't have been able to make it out if she were a living mortal woman. "I saw it all Wesley. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry all of those terrible things happened to you. I know you never wanted people to know. I know you think you have to carry all the sadness and pain around inside of you. But, and I say this with love, that's utterly idiotic."

Wesley looked up with another wane smile. "I've put the past behind me."

"Liar," She said it with all the fondness in the world.

"I guess there is no point in lying to you anymore is there?"

"Never was," She said "I'm Cordelia Chase."

"I'm glad you're still you; that you haven't changed." He said

"Wesley I watch you lying awake at night thinking about all of the terrible things your parents did to you and how afraid you are that you'll do those same things. You never would."

"You must remember what happened when Billy-"

"That was Billy. That had nothing to do with you. You spend so much time dwelling on the bad and trying to blame yourself for everything. You can't carry all that. Especially when you ignore all the great things you have going for you. Look around Wesley, smell the roses."

This time his smile was livelier. "I am happy." He said "I love Fred. I'm just… worried."

She reached out and touched his face. "I know, but don't worry about _that_, okay?"

"All right," He finished the wooden slabs. "Hey why did you kiss me?"

"To prove it was me." She lied easily. "No one can copy a Chase kiss. They might not always be good, but they sure are memorable. Is that three times now? Or am I forgetting one?"

"No, just three."

"I'm so glad things never worked out between us. You and Fred really are made for each other, like those porcelain bookends with the shepherd boy and the shepherd girl."

Wesley chuckled. Then he paused. "I'm not going to mess up?"

The vulnerability in his voice broke her heart. He sounded like the man they had invited to breakfast. He sounded like a little kid, a _scared_ little kid. "Wesley," Her voice was soft and kind as she explained. "Of course you will. Everybody does. The best parents do. And you'll be one of the best. Because you'll admit when you're wrong and when she's wrong you'll love her anyway, love her unconditionally. You'll never berate her or demean her. She'll never hate you."

Wesley had a hard time breathing after that quiet assurance. He was holding back tears he desperately wanted to keep from her. He couldn't speak without betraying himself. "We're just about done." He finished the last of the preparations. "This should shut down the failsafe."

He felt her warm hand on his back. "Be honest with them Wes, they love you."

"I really miss you. Everything made more sense when you were around."

Cordelia was glad he was focused on his work and couldn't see her face. As wrong as what Angel had done was, she understood why he did it. Even with all those happy memories in his head covering up where the bad ones had been removed he was still so fragile. But what Angel had done wouldn't fix it. Love was the only thing that could heal Wesley's pain, not sugary lies. Cordelia bit her lip. But if Wesley ever found out about Conner would be react the same way as last time? Would there be booze and knives? Cordy looked away. She knew he would find out, because she had seen him with Conner in the future. But there were a bunch of things Cordelia couldn't see, and every day the future got shakier and foggier. "Thanks Wes,"

…

Angel's eyes opened. "He's waking up!" Harmony shouted

"Thanks Harm, I noticed." Doyle said "Get off your bum Angel, we've got work."

"Doyle?" Of course it wasn't Doyle, Doyle was dead. "Is that you?"

"Whose handsome mug do you think this is?" Doyle asked

Angel's grin had enough watts to power the city. "You're still here."

"For a little while yet, now are we going to go cause grievous bodily harm or what?"

"Lindsey," It all came back to him, banishing the dream away. "Let's get him."

Doyle helped Angel to his feet. "Harm, can you go tell Cordy where we're going?"

"Can do friend of boss-man." Harmony gave a little salute. "And kick his ass good."

Doyle chuckled as Harmony left. "I like her."

"You know," Angel said "She does kind of grow on you."

…

Lindsey stood in front of the lobby doors staring at his watch. He waited for Angel's lackeys to release the building from the spell. In his pocket was something he had taken from the safe behind Wesley's bookshelf, where the Englishman kept things no one should ever touch for any reason. Lindsey took it out and looked at it. The bauble was pretty, and soon it would be deadly as well. It would be the device by which Lindsey finally got his revenge, and his power.

…

Fred screamed in a pain she had thought she would be ready for. The pauses between the contractions were getting shorter and shorter. "I want a break." She said "Let me take a break."

Lorne put a cool washcloth on her brow. "You're doing great."

"They say that to every woman in labor." Fred complained

"It's true." Lilah said "Somebody always says it. Really takes the meaning away."

Faith was standing as far away from the spectacle as she could. She kept her eyes averted from the natural biological process that disgusted her. Babies, pregnancies, it all horrified her and made her wonder why any woman would want to go through the process. If every woman thought like Faith the species would die out in a generation. Even the noises made her shiver.

"Okay," Lilah said "It's time to push."

"I don't want to do this alone." Fred said in a quiet scared voice "Can't we wait?"

"You're not alone." Lorne said "I'm here and so is Faith."

"Where's Wesley?" Fred demanded "He should be here. This is his daughter."

"He'll be here as soon as he can." Lorne said

Fred took his hand again. There were already purple bruises from where she had mangled his hand with repeated and prolonged squeezing, but she hadn't noticed and he certainly wasn't going to point the bruises out. "This isn't how I wanted it to be." Tears of pain and fear leaked out of her eyes. Lilah hated watching it. She hated the self-pity. She hated children and parents and everything about families. Lilah loved her own mother, but she was different. Lilah's mother had never asked a man for anything in her life. She had kept the name she was born with for her whole life and Lilah doubted she would lose it at this late stage. Lilah's mother had cared for her daughter with no outside assistance, giving the child every privilege they could afford and never putting them in dire financial straits. Ms. Morgan had taught her daughter everything she would ever need to know about life. She had given the child love and knowledge. She had never cried about how unfair it was. She had never cried. Crying was unacceptable, it was a sign of weakness and that was one thing that was never acceptable in the Morgan household. "He was supposed to be here." Fred continued "I didn't think I would be all alone."

Lilah wanted to scream. She wanted to shout at Fred and maybe slap her. Was that because of the spell or did Lilah come by it honestly? Lilah gritted her teeth. "Too bad,"

Lorne ignored Lilah, focusing on Fred. "He'll be here, but right now you have to push."

"Okay," Fred said "Okay,"

Lilah couldn't believe this was the same woman who had once killed a god.

…

Wesley mumbled the final words of the spell and all of a sudden it was as though the air got a few degrees colder and a little bit drier. He and Cordelia looked around. "You did it!"

He smiled, a boyish grin, completely without reservation. "Yes I did."

"You always come through in a pinch. That's one of my favorite things about you."

Wesley surprised her by pulling her into a fierce hug. "Don't leave. Don't go back."

"Wesley," She gently pushed him back. The voice she used to say his name was sadness, but the kind that implied joy, love, and a million other things under it. She looked into his blue eyes and they both understood. Cordelia had grown up an only child, but in this moment she knew she had and always would have a brother. "Let's go meet your daughter." She said

His eyes widened. "You mean-"

"I mean,"

A blond vampire burst into the room. "Angel and Doyle went to fight Lindsey."

"Should we assist them?" Wesley asked

Cordy shook her head. "Oh we will."

…

Angel entered the lobby and there he was. He leaned against the wall, smiling. As the pair of Irishmen stepped in front of him the air changed and they all knew the failsafe had been shut off. Lindsey's smile widened. "I'm actually glad you got here in time, I really wanted to kick your ass. What I have in mind for you is pretty awful vampire, but yet I still want to make you bleed a little, ya know?" Lindsey pulled a short shining blade from inside his jacket and the Irishmen watched it elongate. The glow pulsed. "I really love magic, don't you?"

Angel's heart leapt into his throat when he saw Gunn. "Is he-"

"Fine," Lindsey assured him "He's part of the plan. They all are. I would not spare them with the sweet release of death. I want them to truly suffer Angelus. I want them to agonize."

Lindsey pronounced the work agonize like a man who was in the throes of intense sexual pleasure while speaking. "You're a sick man." Doyle said "You know that right?"

"What did you call me?" Angel asked

"I called you by your true name demon. Now we battle, you and I."

"I hope you don't mind that I brought a little help." Angel said

"Scared vampire?" Lindsey teased

"I figure kicking your ass should be a fun experience for the whole family."

…

Wesley and Cordelia entered the infirmary in time to hear a newborn baby begin to wail her first cries at the troublesome world. The world greeted her with confusing sounds and sensations while the new being longed for the safety of her mother's womb. Wesley froze, he was unable to open the door to Fred's room. He couldn't go in. So Cordelia opened the door and gave him a helpful shove. A tiny pink baby was being sponged off by Lorne while Lilah backed away from the bed with bloody hands. Fred was breathing heavily, looking very pale. Wesley ran over to her. He knelt by her side and took her sweaty hand. "Are you okay?" He felt a twinge of guilt looking at her. He knew that her pain was partially because of him and that bothered him.

Lilah had left without being noticed and now wheeled a machine in. "Out of the way Queen C, medical equipment coming through." Lilah stopped the machine at the foot of the bed.

"An incubator," Wesley said "Right, because she's premature." He looked over in panic at Lorne, who brought the baby over to them. "Is she okay? Is she going to be sick or-"

Lorne put a hand on Wesley's shoulder and then handed the new baby, wrapped in a soft white blanket, to her mother. "She's going to be fine guys. I see a pretty nice future in her aura."

"Ohhh," Fred cradled her baby. "Look at her Wesley. This is our daughter."

Cordelia watched his face just melt. All of the tension and terror slipped away while he watched the woman he loved cradling his child. He looked happy and content. "She's perfect."

No one but Faith saw Lilah roll her eyes. "Why does a law firm have an incubator?"

"We're overly prepared." Lilah told the slayer

"I don't want to let her go." Fred said

"This state of the art piece of machinery will not only regulate your child's environment, but also evaluate her development. So I implore you to stop being sentimental and start being practical when your child's health is at risk." Lilah said "These things aren't built just because they look neat." Fred reluctantly handed the baby to Wesley. He stood up carefully, slowly, and he walked over to Lilah and the incubator. He didn't even think to question her presence or her knowledge because all he could focus on was the tiny person in his arms. He lowered her into the machine, but didn't stop holding her. He was almost afraid to breathe, or to move at all.

"Wes," Cordy said "It's okay."

Faith stared at the new dad. Another reason to never have kids, they seemed to completely change people. Faith had never seen Wesley act like this before and frankly she found it disturbing. "Oh Faith," Cordy said "Angel and Doyle might need your help dispatching our old pal Lindsey. They're all in the lobby if you want to pop in and say hi."

Faith looked at Wesley. "Am I off bodyguard duty?"

"What? Oh yes, yes of course you should-" But the slayer was already gone.

…

Doyle slammed into the wall. Lindsey might not be able to hurt him, but with no special strength to speak of Doyle was little more than a body to be flung at the man. Angel swung at Lindsey, but the former lawyer slashed across Angel's chest. Angel fell to his knees. "So this is the great vampire with a soul?" Lindsey questioned "Is this humanity's champion?!"

Lindsey heard someone clear her throat. "One of them,"

Lindsey chuckled as he looked toward Faith. "Oh look, it's the slayer bitch."

"Small correction," Faith said "It's the slayer, _bitch_. And I am going to do things to you I haven't gotten to do in a long time." Angel started to get to his feet. "Stand back boss."

"Faith," Angel started

"This is a security matter, and I have something to secure."

Faith and Lindsey both started toward one another. Faith was unarmed. She wanted to be unarmed for this fight. Her fists were the weapons she was most familiar with and the maneuvers of her own body were the ones she was most comfortable to her. Lindsey swung at her, but none of his attacks ever landed. Although he had a blade to defend himself with he wasn't fast enough to keep Faith from occasionally breaking through his defenses. She had the patience and she had the speed to get a well-aimed blow in every once in a while. Lindsey's skills had obviously been mystically enhanced, but he was fighting a slayer, one of _the_ slayers. He was fucked and he knew this to be the case. That's when he saw the vampire enter the room. Nobody saw her because they were all focused on him. Lindsey still had the weapon he had used to knock out Angel on his person, why not use it on the blond. Lindsey dropped his sword and jumped back. He fired at the blond and when Faith turned around to see what he had done he pulled a device from his pocket and held it high above his head. "This is a trigger for a bomb I planted upstairs."

Angel knelt down next to Harmony. She seemed to be all right, she wasn't dust at the very least. "Hey! Isn't that cheating?" Doyle protested "Ref make a ruling."

"Give me the trigger." Faith said "And I'll let you keep some of your teeth,"

"How about you let me leave and I might not kill you all." Lindsey said

"You could be bluffing." Faith said

"Am I?"

Faith was good at reading body language. She had bluffed and been bluffed enough times to understand how bluffing effected the body. Lindsey seemed relaxed. Either he was going to win or he was going to die, but he knew he wasn't getting caught. The only way that could be the case was if he was telling the truth. "Get out of here." Faith snarled

"With pleasure," Lindsey slowly retreated.

Faith ran over to Gunn. "Are you okay? Charlie? Honey?"

She heard a groan. "I can only be awakened by true love's kiss."

"You moron," But that insult carried all of her love and concern.

His eyes opened. "You were worried."

"That I was going to lose my convenient lay? Sure,"

"Liar,"

"Shut up," She kissed his, deeply and passionately.

"Where is everybody else?" Angel asked

…

While the slayer carried the unconscious vampire into another room to receive medical attention and wondered what Buffy would think if she could see, Angel, Doyle, and Gunn went into Fred's room to see how the new mother was doing. Lilah had disappeared and no one much cared where she had gone. Trained medical professionals had taken over Fred's care again, no longer rendered useless by a spell. Wes was knelt by Fred's bedside holding her hand while Lorne stood back and watched the doctors examine data from the baby's incubator. Cordy was hovering over the doctors to get a better view of the baby. "She's so tiny." Cordelia said

"Babies usually are." Angel teased

"She's in excellent health for a preemie." A doctor said

"Hey that's great." Fred said in a very weak voice. "Excellent, that's a good word."

Wesley kissed Fred's brow. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"You're here now." She said

"Hey Lorne what happened to your hand?" Gunn asked "Did you get in a fight?"

"What?" At first the Pylean was confused. "Oh-"

Fred gasped. "Did I do that?! I am so sorry."

"I'm not." Lorne said "Trust me, it doesn't hurt. Pyleans bruise easily even when the injury isn't that severe. I almost forgot these bruises were here that's how little they hurt."

"Lorne I lived in Pylea for five years. Don't try to BS me about your physiology."

Lorne blushed. "It was worth a shot. Still not sorry though,"

Angel walked over to the incubator and then hesitated. Was he too close? This wasn't his child, did he have any right to be so near to her? Cordy put a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't she lovely Angel? Wes, tell Angel what her name is. It's such a great name, so very lovely."

Angel wondered what kind of name they could have picked. Knowing Wesley he'd want to give her a name of literary significance that most wouldn't be able to pronounce. Fred would want to name her after a physicist or a Texan relative. Angel doubted there was much overlap between the two groups. "Her name is Evangeline." Wesley said "It means good news."

Angel blinked. "Oh," He whispered, unsure how to respond

"Evangeline Patricia Wyndam-Pryce." Fred said "Patricia after my mother,"

Angel considered the fact that it might not have occurred to Wes and Fred that the name they had picked for their daughter had his name in the middle of it. But when he looked over at them he realized it had. Angel felt a rush of guilt. "It's very lovely." He said "She's very lovely."

"Of course she is." Lorne said with a chuckle "She has Burkle blood in her."

Blood, Angel looked back down at the baby. Every source he questioned said hers was human and yet her father's inhumanity was the reason for her conception. Angel blocked out the room, every sound and image fell to the background. He let his nose tell him the truth. He smelt on her what he had smelt often before. She was fresh and new. Her blood was pure. She had no diseases and she was very human. Angel smiled. "Hey Evi," He ignored Fred's protest over the nickname as he continued. "You don't know this yet, but you're pretty lucky. Your parents are two of the best people I know and they're going to take care of you. They'll teach you all the stuff you need to know and some stuff you don't need to but that is pretty interesting anyway."

Little Evangeline didn't seem to be aware of him, but that was all right. Everything was all right because this baby was human and his family was whole again.


	14. Smile Time

When Angel left the room to give the new mom some rest only Cordy and Wes were still in there with her. Doyle took his arm. "Come on my man. The time has come."

"The time for what?"

"You're young, you're- well that wasn't true. You're handsome."

"Thank…you?" Angel said

"It's time for you to get back on that horse. Sources tell me a pretty filly has been making the googly eyes at you every month for some time now. Is that or is that not the case?"

Angel sighed. "Doyle, I-"

"That was a rhetorical question. This Nina, do you like her?"

"Yes, but I-"

"And you don't love her right?"

"I don't really know her that-"

"Then there isn't a problem. I'll dial, you talk to her. Just be yourse- just be cool."

…

Wesley sat on Fred's bedside with the new mom leaning against him while she slept a peaceful and well deserved sleep. Her rhythmic breathing soothed him. "I don't want to go any more than you want me to." Cordelia admitted "I am happy where I am, and don't take this the wrong way but you don't really miss people up there. Everyone is with you. But I hate that all of you miss me so much that it causes you pain. I never want you to be in pain. I love you all."

"When do you have to leave?" Wesley asked

"There are some messages I am supposed to deliver, but if you could do it for me I can stay a little while longer." In response Wesley took out a pen and a pad of paper. She grinned.

"Just call me messenger boy."

"Some of the messages are for people you don't get along with all that well."

"I'll manage."

"The first one is for Xander. Tell him Anya said 'I know.' and tell him I did love him for a little while, and that was enough. Someone you don't know, his name is Jessie, wants to tell Xander to get over it. That's an exact quote. Tell Buffy her mom loves her so much and that no mother could be prouder of her daughters than she is of hers. Tell Dawn Joyce said being her mom was one of the best things that ever happened to her no matter how long it was for and why she entered the family. Tell Giles, or stuffy British man the original version," Wesley chuckled at that good-natured rib. "Jenny still loves him and she never ever blamed him. This next one is the biggie and it rounds out the scoobies." Cordelia closed her eyes. "This is verbatim. My darling dearest Willow. How can I begin to explain my love for you? You are one half of me and when we met I was complete. For so long I was only one half of my true self and when we touched for the first time I was yours completely. I was whole and I was whole because I was a part of you and you were a part of me. When we were apart I felt our bond and I drew strength from it. The farther apart we were the more I clung to our bond. When we were angry at one another I was at war, not with you, but with myself. But you are myself as much as I am. When you were in pain I felt it. When you are in love I feel it. Love and love well, for it is not a disservice to me, but the very opposite. I live through you now, through the parts of me in you. Let me love you by loving yourself and let me love others because you love them so that my life continues to be as vivid and rich now as it ever was. Until we meet again my darling, Tara."

Wesley looked down at the woman he loved. "That's beautiful."

"It had me all choked up. I'm sure it will do Willow good to hear it."

Wesley read over his dictation to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Did Gunn's sister send a-" He stopped when her saw her withering look. "What?"

"I was getting there."

"Okay, sheesh,"

"Hers and the stuff from his parents I'll deliver personal." She said

"Good," Wesley said "I can't imagine there's anything for Lorne or I."

"No," Cordy said "Nothing for Fred either."

"So that's it then?"

"No," Cordy said "That's not it." She walked over to the incubator and stared at the baby resting quietly. "She has your eyes Wes. She has your beautiful blue eyes." She smiled.

"Many babies are born with blue eyes, only for the color to change as they get older."

"Wes, I can see the future, remember?"

"Oh," He looked down at the sleeping Fred, at the rise and fall of her chest. The pattern had a soothing stability to it. "What does she look like? Or should I not know?"

"She needs glasses and refuses to wear contacts except for in the field. She hates the way they make her eyes itch. But Fred loves when she takes her glasses off and she can see your eyes on her face. They are like oceans, there is so much in there. She has long brown hair she forgets to brush when she gets caught up studying. It gets all tangled and Fred is the only one who can work a comb through it. Nobody believes her when she says she remembers you reading to her as a toddler, but she swears she does. She says she remembers every story and falling asleep in your lap knowing she was safe because you were there. Whenever she's scared or has a secret she comes to you because she knows nothing could make you not love her. She's so pale that too much time outside gives her sunburn. She once turned your garage into a chemistry lab and accidentally ruined the paintjob on your car. Fred was so proud of her. She refuses to wear dresses or skirts. She's as painfully thin as her mother. And her eating habits are…ew."

Wesley stood up, careful not to disturb Fred. He walked over to the incubator. She was so tiny and fragile. He was terrified and excited at once. "Do you want to hold her?" He whispered

"Please,"

Wesley opened the incubator. He gently lifted the new life out and handed her to the glowing woman. Cordelia cradled the child. "Be careful Wes." She whispered "I can't see everything and some things are uncertain. No matter what happens, stick with the family."

"I promise." He said

…

Angel sat at his desk thinking about the events of last month. Cordelia and Doyle coming to visit had rejuvenated him somehow. Watching them leave again had hurt, but the memories they left him with were a gift he cherished. They had washed away a great deal of pain and badness, fixing problems he hadn't even known existed. It seemed as though there was a spring in everybody's step these days and Angel couldn't be happier. Well he could, but that was for the best, all things considered. He was even in a (just happy enough) relationship now. He had been out with Nina the werewolf girl a few times and last night's rendezvous had ended rather well for both of them. They had stayed in for breakfast and now that she was gone he was ready to get to work on the last day of Fred's maternity leave. He was glad she had taken a break, but he really missed her and was equally glad to soon have her back. Angel smiled to himself as he flipped through his files, remembering the feel of Cordelia's last hug and her parting words. "I will always love you." Angel remembered hugging Doyle as the two vanished, returning home.

…

Wesley picked up his phone, noting it was an internal call. "Hello Faith."

"I just wanted to warn you."

"About what? I haven't seen any apocalyptic omens all week."

"Fred just got here. She brought her parents."

"Mr. and Mrs. Burkle? I didn't know they were coming here." Wesley said

"You might want to come downstairs."

Wesley left his office to head to the elevator. When the door opened his girlfriend exited with her parents. Trish was holding baby Evi, showering her with affection. "Wes!" Fred threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Guess who popped in for a surprise visit!"

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess your parents." Wesley hazarded

"See how smart your daddy is Evi," Trish said "Almost as smart as your mommy."

"One day maybe," Wesley said "You two seem to be getting along." He gestured to his daughter who seemed very content in her grandmother's arms.

"I'm going to take her back with me." Trish joked "We've been all alone ever since our Fred went off and abandoned us for the glamorous L.A. life. We were so excited to come visit you when the baby came, but then she got here early and we rearranged our schedules so we could come as soon as possible. We're already a month late to meet our granddaughter."

"Impatient tyke huh?" Roger asked "Couldn't wait to see the world?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Burkle!" Angel came out of his office. "When did you get in town?"

"A couple of hours ago. We left at the crack of dawn." Trish pointed her thumb at her husband as she spoke. "This one can't leave any later than the sun itself. He's impossible."

"I am." Roger admitted "But that's how we men are. Right Wes?"

"Sure," Wes said "Honey am I impossible?"

"In every way." Fred kissed him on the cheek. "It's impossible to fit so many good qualities into one person. Yet here you are." She chuckled at his embarrassment as he blushed.

"Staying long?" Angel asked

"Just the night." Trish said "Fred told us we can stay with you two." She told Wes

"Well that's-"

"Don't tease the man Trish." Roger said "We got a hotel."

"It's really nice. Not as nice as the one you guys used to have, but nice. They give out these free tiny soaps and you can take some home when you leave. I love them."

"You're more than welcome to stay with us." Wesley assured them

"We appreciate it." Roger said "But that's fine."

"We're just glad that we can spend the whole day fussing over this adorable little baby."

Wesley smiled at them. "It really is very nice to see-"

They were interrupted by heavy footsteps on the stairs. Gun came running toward them and was so focused on what was on his mind that at first he missed the visitors. "Angel we have a serious- Mr. and Mrs. Burkle! Hey! I didn't know you were coming to town." He stuck out his hand for Roger to shake. "It's really great to see you again. Came to see the new grandkid?"

"Of course," Trish said "Fred wanted us to come over and say hi to everyone, but it looks like you might be busy." She looked at the file in his hands, recalling the urgency in his voice.

"We can go downstairs." Fred said "And I can show you my lab, it's gorgeous."

"Only you can find a bunch of glass beakers and whirring machines gorgeous." Roger said and then he kissed his daughter on the brow. "I wonder if little Evi will inherit that trait."

"I hope so." Trish said "How else will she keep up with her brilliant parents?"

"Do you need me?" Fred asked Angel "For the case?"

"Technically you're still on leave, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Okay," She smiled at all of them. "Bye hon, we'll see you later." She kissed Wes on the cheek before leading her parents down to where her lab was. Wesley watched them go, unable to completely avoid thinking about his own parents and how he hadn't told them about Evi yet.

"We've got trouble with a capital T." Gunn said

"New information on Lindsey?" Wesley asked

"No, he's dust in the wind, him and that necklace. I put Lilah in charge of a special task force devoted to searching for him and we've got nothing so far. He doesn't want to be found."

"Was it wise to put Lilah in charge?" Angel asked

"She's the most capable person on my staff." Gunn said "And she hates Lindsey."

"If he isn't responsible for the capital T trouble, who is?" Wes asked

"No idea, but it has seven kids in the hospital so far."

Wesley took the proffered file and opened it to a page with a picture of a little girl lying sprawled on the ground. She had long blond pigtails and was wearing a pink dress covered in blue and green flowers. Her face was frozen in a twisted grin. Wesley shivered. The thought of his own daughter falling prey to some malicious malady horrified him and even though this little girl had next to nothing in common with his own he couldn't help picturing Evi in her shoes.

"Are you okay Wes?" Angel asked

"I'm fine." Wesley said

"A little too close to home?" Gunn asked

"I just…" He attempted to change the topic. "It says here the doctors have been able to find no neurological or physiological cause for the symptoms. There probably isn't one."

"You thinking magic?" Gunn asked

"A curse of some kind seems likely, though it is odd that one curse would be used on the same seven children in such a short time in a limited geographical area. The children appear to have no connection besides all falling in the same age range. This could be part of a sacrifice."

"Okay," Angel said "Wes you research the curse. Gunn dig up as much as you can on these kids to find a connection between them. I'm going to send Lorne to the hospital to see if he can get anything from the kids' auras. I hate to say it, but we could really use Fred on this one."

"She's already in the lab." Wesley said "I'm sure she wants to help."

"Okay, I'll send Harmony down there. We need a cure for these kids, and fast. This is top priority everybody. Let's go to work." There was no way Angel was letting any more kids get hurt or letting the ones already afflicted deteriorate. He thought about Conner, there was no way.

…

"Who's the cutest little girl in the world? You are. Yes that's right. It's you."

Roger Burkle watched his wife dote on the baby in her arms. He stared at her with adoring eyes. With effort he turned his gaze from the woman he loved to the daughter he revered and put his arm around her. "She's beautiful baby. She's almost as pretty as you were."

Fred put her hand over her father's. "Thanks daddy."

"Are you happy?"

She thought about the question. It was a serious one and deserved consideration. "I never thought I could be this happy. Everything in my life is just the way I want it. I was so nervous when we first got here. But I love my job and I love my family. I love Evi and Wesley so much."

"I have to tell you I thought you would get hitched before you started a family."

"Everything just happened so fast. We never really got to talk about the future."

"Don't you think now would be a good time for that?"

"I-"

"Fred!" Harmony ran into the lab. "Angel needs you to run some tests for the new case."

"Sure thing Harmony, what's the case?"

"A bunch of kids in a coma, pretty terrible." Harmony didn't look too broken up. "Evi is here! She's so adorable!" Harmony walked over to Trish and Fred instinctively tensed up.

Trish had no idea the woman was a vampire. "Isn't she just?"

"Thanks Harmony," Fred said "Do you have a copy of the file?"

Harmony brought it over to Fred. "Can I hold the baby?"

"I-" Fred looked at Harmony's pleading eyes. Her resolve dissolved. "Sure,"

"New moms are always nervous to hand their kids over." Trish said as she handed Harmony the baby "I never wanted to put Fred down for a second. Then she learned to walk, so that was tricky. She learned to run pretty fast as well. Then she ran all the way to California."

"Oh mom," Fred said "You can't miss me that much."

Trish walked over to her daughter and wrapped her in a hug. "The only thing that keeps me from going crazy is knowing you're happy where you are. I miss you so much sweetie."

"I love you mom." Fred enjoyed her mother's embrace, but never took her eyes off Harmony while the vampire cradled her child. "I love you so much, and don't go crazy."

Fred felt a surge of relief when her father asked for the baby and Harmony reluctantly handed the warm bundle of blood over. Roger stared at his granddaughter. "Hey kiddo,"

"Well I better go do my job." Harmony said "Whatever it is."

Trish chuckled when Harmony had left. "How can she do her job if she doesn't know what it is? Or is that a big city thing?"

"She sort of just does whatever Angel tells her to." Fred explained

…

Harmony entered Wesley's office. "You need me?" She asked

"Yes," He took out a pile of papers. "Bring these to Gunn. I think they might assist him with narrowing down who might want to harm these children." The stack of paper was high.

"Doesn't look very narrow." Harmony noted

Wesley ignored that. "I need your help with one other thing."

"What?"

He took a small black box from his desk drawer. He opened it, revealing a diamond ring flashing in the filtered sunlight. "Do you think she'll like it?"

Harmony squealed with excitement. "It's-"

"Shhh. Sh. Harmony calm down. Stop shouting." He pleaded

She lowered the volume of her squealing, but persisted. "She's going to love it!"

"Please lower your voice."

"Sorry. I'm sorry. She's going to freak out!"

Wesley sighed. Why had he asked for her advice? "You think?"

"I know. She's going to go nuts."

…

Faith sighed as she pulled up to Wolfram & Hart. "Are you sure you-"

"Faith," The familiar growl came from an unfamiliar form. Angel was sitting in the passenger seat even though they were in his car and he had driven to the puppet company Gunn had directed them toward. He could no longer reach the pedals because he had been turned into a felt creation. "Just don't tell anyone. It'll wear off and nobody ever has to know about this."

"We don't actually know that it'll wear off." Faith reminded him "You're guessing."

"If you tell anyone I'll-" Angel couldn't think of a good threat in his current condition so he settled for a pathetic one. "I'll be very disappointed in your violation of my trust."

"Angel there could be a counter spell. We just tell Wes-"

"No,"

"But,"

"No! Okay?!"

"Somebody's grouchy," She said in a sing-song voice

Angel got out of the car and walked slowly to his private elevator. "Not a word."

"You got it boss." Faith said

"And make sure nobody comes into my office!"

"Yes sir!" She gave a big fake salute. "This is so going to blow up in his face."

…

Spike entered the lab cautiously. He hadn't expected Fred to be entertaining an elderly couple when he came to say good-bye. But he wasn't going to turn back. He cleared his throat to announce his presence. "Fred," When she turned around and saw him her face lit up.

His heart melted. "Spike! It's so good to see you!"

"I heard there was an incident last month."

She waved it off. "Everything worked out. Come say hi to my parents."

"Parents, right." He shook Roger's hand and then his wife's. "Nice to meet you."

Fred took her baby from her father. "And this is someone else you haven't met."

"Evi is it?" Spike asked

"Evangeline, but no one wants to take the time to say the whole thing."

Spike chuckled. "Can I…"

"Of course," Fred handed him the child.

Spike's vampire senses were aware of the life in his hands more than mere eyes were capable of being. She was warm and throbbing. Blood flowed through her, clean and as fresh as any blood ever could be. "This is some kid you made here, I bet she turns out well."

"Thank you,"

Spike handed the baby back. "I came to say goodbye."

Fred looked confused. "Where are you going?"

"Rome, for a bit. Then if things don't work out there I'll head over to the old motherland for a visit, see how things have changed. After that… I don't know. I have a lot of time to think it over so there's no reason to over plan. But I need to get out of this city, it's bad for me."

Fred looked into his eyes. He did appear to be a little off. "I hope you'll visit."

"Maybe, might come by and see how the little nipper is doing."

Fred hugged Spike. "Good bye,"

He didn't want the embrace to end, but eventually it had to. "Bye love,"

"Who was that?" Trish asked when he was gone

"Someone I helped." Fred explained "I think,"

…

Wesley ran into Faith on his way downstairs. "Did Gunn's theory pan out?"

"Yep, problem solved. Demons were killed, the kids should already be up."

As if on cue Wesley's pager went off. He read the message. "That was easy."

"Well Angel got hit by a blast of mojo, so he's resting in his office. He requested not to be bothered by anything less urgent than the apocalypse. Not a pending one, a here one."

"Is he okay? If he was hit by magic he should be checked out."

"He said no." Faith said

"All right then, I have to go… do a thing."

"Ooookay," She watched him flee. "I'm not sure what that was."

Harmony walked up to Faith. "He's going to propose." She whispered

"No way!"

Harmony nodded.

"Let's go spy on him."

…

Roger was surprised when Wesley approached him in the hall while the elder man was on his way back to the lab from the bathroom. "Hey Wesley, did your case work out?"

"Yes," Wesley seemed extremely nervous. "It did. It worked out well."

"Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I…" Wesley felt like he had a bunch of cotton balls in his mouth sucking away the moisture and he couldn't speak. "I…" Wesley flushed, this wasn't going the way he wanted.

"Spit it out man, you're not the first to ask someone for his daughter's hand. If I managed to stutter my way through it you can too." Roger chuckled at Wesley's shocked expression.

"How did you know?"

"I was once where you are now. Of course I proposed to Fred's mother before we conceived her. But I'm not going to complain about my beautiful granddaughter."

Wesley flushed again. "I would like to ask you- That is to say I would like your permission to- I mean to request- I…" He took in a deep breath. "I want to marry your daughter."

Roger clapped Wesley on the back. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Wesley took in another deep breath. "I've faced demons before, but none of them frightened me the way doing that just did." He gave Roger a hopeful look. "So is that a yes?"

"Well you're a foreigner, and that counts against you. But you make my daughter happy and that's all I really care about. If she wants to marry you I wholeheartedly approve."

Wesley released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Thank you,"

"Just so we're clear, if you ever do anything to hurt my daughter I'll have to kill you."

"Good," Wesley said

Roger chuckled. "You'll be in my shoes some day and I hope you'll be talking to a fellow like you and not some punk. I really lucked out with my daughter's good taste."

"Thanks,"

"Well I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." Roger assured him

…

Spike approached Angel's office door. Harmony wasn't at her desk so Spike just walked right into the room. The sight that greeted him was so incredible, so glorious, that if Spike's soul came with the caveat that he couldn't experience perfect happiness it would have been evicted from his body forthwith. Spike didn't even know how to react to the incredible sight that was a puppet version of Angel brooding at his desk. Puppet Angel turned his gaze to Spike and his felt face contorted into an expression of horror. "Spike!" Angel stood up on his chair.

"You-"

"Get out of here Spike." Angel growled

"You're a bloody puppet!"

Angel leapt from his chair and attacked Spike. Spike hadn't been prepared to be attacked by a puppet today, and he was laughing too hard to defend himself. Angel's tiny felt fists smacked into Spikes face while the younger vampire giggled helplessly. "Oh my God!"

Harmony had entered the room. Angel looked up at her. "Go away Harmony!"

"Angel what happened to you?" Harmony asked

Faith had come in right behind her. "I thought you were hiding." Faith said

"I was! Harmony why weren't you at your desk?!"

"We were spying on-"

"Harmony don-" Faith attempted to silence her.

"Wesley. He asked Fred's dad for permission to marry her."

"What?" They all turned their eyes to the newest people to enter the room. Fred had just came in holding her daughter accompanied by Wesley and her parents. She looked at her boyfriend, her surprise evident. "Is that true? You asked my dad if you could marry me?"

"Thanks Harmony," Wesley muttered

"Oops,"

"What's with the puppet?" Roger asked in an attempt to help Wesley

"That's Angel." Faith said

Angel sighed, removing himself from Spike. "When Faith and I shut down the magic that was effecting those kids I got hit with a bolt of magic. There were… side effects."

"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Trish asked

"No," Faith said "Not often,"

"Not ever," Angel growled "Wes, is there a cure for this?"

"I'm sure there is." Wesley sounded relieved. "Why didn't you come to me earlier?"

"I was hoping it would wear off in its own." Angel admitted

Spike was overtaken with mirth. "He was embarrassed. I would be too."

"Angel," Wesley scolded "Mystical transformations are nothing to be ashamed off."

"Says the man not currently made of felt." Angel said

"This is the best day ever." Faith said "I literally cannot imagine a better day than this."

"Bleeding fantastic," Spike agreed "I can't believe I might have missed this."

"My life just feels complete now." Faith said

"Enough!" Angel shouted "If we're all done enjoying my pain!"

Evangeline began to cry. "Angel," Fred scolded as she held back giggles

"Sorry," He said "I'm sorry Fred, sorry Evi."

"You're going to give her like a puppet phobia or something." Harmony said

"I hate my life." Angel said "I hate it."

"It's a good thing you're dead then." Spike said "This is just wonderful."

"I love working here." Faith said

"Wes," Angel pleaded "Please tell me you can fix this."

"I think I know a spell that might work." Wesley said "We can go to my office."

"Great," Angel said "That's great." His relief was palpable

Fred was still trying to shush her baby. "It's okay. There, there,"

…

Gunn was listening to Lilah explain the current status of the Lindsey case when Lorne burst through the door. "Wesley is going to propose to Fred! Have you heard? Did you hear?"

"Well he certainly has now." Lilah said in a biting voice

Lorne completely ignored her. "He asked her dad's permission and everything!"

Gunn jumped to his feet. "That's fantastic!"

"Come on!" Lorne said "Let's go pester them."

"Lilah you finish up here." Gunn said "I'll look everything over in the morning."

Lilah gave a silent nod. That was best because they wouldn't have heard a word she said anyway as they ran into the hall. She started to clean up the files, but her emotions took over and she had to sit down at Gunn's desk and take a moment to compose herself. Her vision began to blur with tears and she pressed against her sinus canals in an attempt to stop them. She tried to tell herself that she wouldn't be reacting at all if it weren't for the fact that her newfound citizenship in the land of the living made everything feel that much more potent. She told herself she didn't give a damn that Wes was going to marry little miss sweetness and light. She put her face in her hands and began to cry. Once the first drops were free she couldn't stop the flood and racking sobs shook her body. She almost didn't notice when the door opened. She looked up and gave the intruder a hateful glare. "What do you want Harmony? I'm a little busy."

"Do you want to talk?" Harmony asked softly

"I know you're not very bright, but try to remember that we hate each other."

"I don't hate you." Harmony said "I don't hate anybody. I can't anymore."

"You can't?" Lilah was curious despite herself.

"Angel can, because he cares. He can love, so he can hate. I can't do either."

Lilah considered this. "You're lucky Harmony."

"I wouldn't mind being able to love and hate again." Harmony admitted "I kind of miss it a little bit. I try to connect to people now, but it's hard. Plus the whole blood-sucker thing."

"Yeah," Lilah said "I get it. They don't want to give you a chance."

"No, but I'll keep trying."

"Why?"

"This is a good job and… Cordy wants me here."

"Right, Saint Cordelia." Lilah rolled her eyes.

"When I listened to her, those were the best days of my life. I want them back."

"They're gone Harmony, forever. You lost them. Once a thing is lost you can't regain it."

Harmony shrugged. "So I should just wallow in my misery like you?"

Lilah grinned at Harmony. Her grin was cruel and off-putting. "No sweetie, you shouldn't do that." Lilah stood up and smoothed her outfit. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. "I'm Lilah Morgan. All I need is a courtroom and a few dumb men and the world is mine. I have nothing to be miserable about. Get out of my way." Lilah headed for the hall, making it clear that if Harmony didn't move Lilah would simply walk into her. Harmony hopped out of Lilah's way. For some reason the super-strong vampire found this living woman with no special powers intimidating. Harmony watched Lilah walk away and you would never have known from her posture that she had just been crying. She looked like she was on her way to be crowned queen of the universe. Harmony shrugged and headed back over to her desk.

Faith was there talking to Spike. They were laughing. "Hey Harmony," Faith said "We're going out for drinks to celebrate just how fucking fantastic this day was. Want to come?"

"Sure, I'd love to-" Harmony yelped in pain. She put her hands on the sides of her head and fell to her knees. She squirmed as she tried to hold in the brains that felt like they were oozing between her fingers, hot and gooey. She whimpered as she watched a man sprinkle something on a necklace. She recognized it at the necklace Spike had come from. She felt strong hands, slayer hands, lift her and then carry her away. When Harmony opened her eyes she was in Faith's office while the slayer and Spike looked down at her. "What happened?" Harmony asked

"We were going to ask you the same question." Spike said

"My head… I saw things."

Faith appraised the vampire. "What did you see?"

"The necklace, the one that got stolen. Someone had it."

"Lindsey?" Faith asked

"Maybe, he was chanting, but I didn't understand."

"I need to tell Angel about this." Faith said

"You need a drink now more than ever pet." Spike said "Let's go celebrate my last night in the States while Faith fulfills her obligations to the man who signs her checks."

"I think Harmony should stay here." Faith said "She might have had a vision."

"A vision?" Harmony asked

…

Angel clenched and unclenched his fists. "Thank you," He said

Wesley and the Burkles were in Wesley's office, making no attempts to hide their collective amusement. "How long were you going to wait to ask for help?" Fred asked

"Well I'm immortal so…"

Wesley rolled his eyes. "You and your vanity."

"It wasn't a vanity thing."

"Really?" Fred asked

"Well we need to go check into our hotel." Trish said "You kids want to help us out?"

"Sure," Wesley said "Are you okay Angel?"

"I'm fine."

"Can you watch the baby until we get back?" Fred asked

Angel brightened up. "I'd love to."

She grinned at him. "Here's her diaper bag." She handed him the bag decorated with teddy bears. "Her bottle is in there. If she starts crying she's probably hungry. You might have to change her diaper. Changing a diaper is super easy. All you have to do is-"

"Fred I know how to change a diaper."

"You do?" This surprised her.

Angel was confused for a moment as to why this would be a shock to her until he remembered that she didn't have any memory of him caring for Conner. "Yes, I got it."

Fred kissed her baby on the forehead before handing her over to Angel. "Be good for Uncle Angel okay Evi?" Evi made a gurgling sound probably unrelated to Fred's request.

"I think she likes you." Wesley said

"I like her too." Angel had said the words before realizing that he was mimicking the exchange he and Wesley had before Angel had handed over Conner, condemning his son to grow up in an alternate hell dimension. He pushed the thought away. "I like you lots Evi."

"Bye sweetheart." Trish said "We'll see you soon." She kissed her granddaughter.

"Bye-bye," Roger said "Don't grow up as fast as your mommy."

"Leaving before the sun again?" Angel asked

Trish sighed. "Yes, you know how this one is."

"Don't be a stranger." Angel requested

"We'll be seeing you." Roger said

Wesley and the Burkles left Angel alone with the baby. He took her and the diaper bag into his office so he could watch her while he worked. The work thing didn't end up happening as he spent the whole time making funny faces at the baby and talking to her. When she began to fuss Angel fed her, only slightly creeped out by the fact that he was handling breast milk, it wasn't worse than blood after all. A little while later he had to change her and soon the baby began to look sleepy. Angel went through his mental rolodex of lullabies and looked for a nice one to serenade the little girl with. "This is a nice Irish classic. I know your daddy is an Englishman, but they aren't the most musically gifted of nationalities. Sure, the Beatles were great, but what else have they contributed to music really? Don't answer that." Angel began to sing to the little girl and soon she was asleep in his arms. He tried so hard not to think about the son he had lost, the son who was happy without him. That had nothing to do with Evangeline.

"Angel,"

Angel had rarely heard Faith speak in such a soft unobtrusive voice. "I think you need to come check this out. The day's weirdness isn't over. Something is up with Harmony."

"I'm sort of busy."

"It's important." Faith insisted

"Harmony and important-"

"Angel," Her voice sharpened

Angel sighed as he picked up the phone to call Lorne. Within a minute the Pylean was in his office cooing over the baby while Angel followed Faith to the security office.

…

Lilah watched Spike head for the exit. "You're leaving then?"

"On a high note, that's how I like to go." Spike explained

"Not running away from the possibility you'll have to congratulate the woman you love on her engagement to another man?" Lilah asked cruelly "Not fleeing her perfect happy life?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not."

"Good, I hate cowards."

"I don't much care what you think of me."

"I know. The thing is, you're leaving. I've been wondering what that stuff we did while I was dead feels like. I remember it, but there weren't any sensations. I like sensation."

"That stuff would probably kill you."

"Well you're leaving town anyway, when better to commit murder?"

"You are one crazy broad."

"Want to see just how crazy?"

…

Wesley sighed as they drove away from the hotel. "I'm sorry." Fred said

"For what?"

"That it's not going to be a surprise."

Wesley looked over at her. "I'm glad you found out."

"Really? Why?"

"I might have procrastinated until our daughter was in school before I found the courage to ask you. Now I have to do it soon because you know. So it all worked out I suppose."

Fred looked out her window at the orange-yellow sunset. It took her a moment to realize they were going the wrong way to get to the office. "Honey, where are we going?"

"The park,"

"Are you going to propose to me in the park?" Fred teased

"Let's find out."

When they got to the park she let him lead her down a path through the trees to a secluded spot under a large oak. He got down on one knee. "You don't have to-"

"Fred,"

"Sorry, do your thing."

"Winifred Burkle, love of my life, mother of my child,"

"Yes Wesley,"

"Will you marry me?"

She looked down at his blue eyes. From the moment that Harmony had let the surprise slip Fred had been picturing this moment. They hadn't talked about it at work or at the hotel, but it had been on her mind every second. She had imagined herself saying yes a million times and a few times she had imagined a few silly speeches. Now she couldn't imagine herself saying anything at all. All she could think about was the way Wesley read to Evangeline every night even though there was no way she would ever remember. She thought about the way he held her daughter and the way he held Fred herself when they were alone. She thought of the way his eyes were kind, if often sad. She thought about how he always seemed to understand her even if she couldn't understand herself. She thought about how she loved him. She couldn't speak.

"Fred?" He sounded concerned.

She blushed. She'd had hours to prepare for this and yet still wasn't ready. "I will."

She hated the way her voice shook. "Are you sure?" He sounded scared.

"I love you." She said "With all my heart." She watched him grip the ring and with shaking hands put it on her finger. He stood up and he kissed her. She felt safe in the warmth of his embrace. "Wow, this is real." She said "You really want to marry me."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He said "I have for a long time."


	15. A Hole in the World

Lindsey was a patient man when he needed to be, but his patience had limits. Now that he had the final ingredient for the spell he could begin. Learning the proper pronunciation of a long dead demonic language had been the hardest part. He sprinkled the powder on the necklace and began the incantation. He thought the words in English as he spoke them in the ancient tongue the spell had to be spoken in. "_What is yours is mine as you are mine. All that you are belongs to me as I take you away from yourself. Come to me. Give me your soul. Your soul is mine._"

…

"It was just a bunch of gibberish." Harmony said in irritation

Angel sighed. They had waited until morning to deal with Harmony's vision and now Wesley was trying to get enough information from Harmony to interpret said vision. Angel had been unaware it was possible to miss Cordy any more than he already did, but listening to the unhelpful ditzy vampire was making him yearn for her with renewed fervor. "Can you remember any of the words? I know you don't know the language, but Wesley can translate it."

"I don't know." Harmony said in a petulant voice

Angel and Wesley shared a look of mutual pity. They were stuck in Wesley's office with Harmony and Angel considered using this as a torture method in the future. A few hours alone with Harmony and anyone would be spilling their guts. "Angel I'm sure you have better things to be doing." Wesley said "Go ahead, I can handle this. If I learn anything I'll call you."

"Thanks," Angel said

Angel felt bad as he eagerly fled the room, but not bad enough to stay. Besides there was very little that could dampen his current good mood for too long. Spike was gone and gone for good. That alone filled Angel with glee. Wes and Fred were engaged. Gunn and Lorne were thriving in their work environments. Even the Harmony thing was good, if annoying. Angel didn't pretend to know why Cordelia had chosen Harmony of all people (or unpeople) to turn over the gift Doyle had given her to, but he was sure she had her reasons. Now that kiss on the forehead made sense. Cordy must have sent the vision of Lindsey. She was helping them and might continue to do so for the foreseeable future. That was more than worth putting up with extra helpings of Harmony for, especially if it led to Lindsey's capture. Angel almost wanted to whistle with glee. Angel's good mood was nearly dashed when he caught a whiff of the peroxide haired vampire himself. Angel looked around the corner, but he only saw Lilah talking to Gunn about an important case. Where was the- Angel sniffed the air. It was Lilah, the smell was coming from her. She noticed him observing her. "Can I help you with something?"

"I uh…"

"You all right man?" Gunn asked

"Yeah, I thought I-" Angel put his hand to his chest. He felt a pulling stretching sensation that was vaguely familiar but he couldn't place. He closed his eyes, disoriented. "I-"

"Angel are you okay?" Gunn asked with deep alarm

The vampire blinked and then straightened. "I'm fine." He smiled.

"Are you sure?"

Angel's grin widened. "I'm positive. I need to get back to work."

They watched him walk away. "That was weird." Gunn said

"Yeah, since when does he actually do work?"

…

Angelus looked around the room, grinning. It was perfect, it was wonderful. The fox was in the hen house and no one had the slightest idea. How had this happened? Angelus sat down at Angel's desk, at his desk as far as anyone knew. The necklace, Wolfram & Hart had meant to use it to free him and then abandoned that plan. Lindsey had it. Lindsey was responsible for setting him free. Angelus chuckled. What to do first? Who to do first? He tapped on Angel's desk and looked out the windows toward the sunlight. He could take as much time as he wanted to design this game, and then he would get to play. Angelus laughed. He knew what he wanted.

…

Faith felt strong hands, not as strong as hers but strong, rest on her shoulders. Warm lips pressed against her neck. "Guess who." A tongue tasted her skin. She grinned at the sensation.

"I'm working Charlie." Faith said as she looked over some security reports

"You work too much." Gunn said as his lips traveled up her neck

"We're not having another security breach on my watch."

"Can't you take just a little break?"

Faith turned around to face him, giving him a good view of her ample bosom. "Why don't you come find me for lunch, we'll see if absence really does make the heart grow fonder."

"I couldn't be any fonder of you." Gunn said

"Bummer," Faith said "I still have work to do, and I think you have some of your own."

Gunn sighed. "When did you become the responsible member of this relationship?"

Faith patted him on the shoulder. "I think watching Fred give birth dampened my libido."

"Really?" Gunn couldn't tell if she was serious.

"Just a little bit. I mean watching someone squeeze a bowling ball through their-"

"Faith!"

"What?" Faith asked

"Gross,"

"Now you know how I feel. Plus if I hadn't been stuck on bodyguard duty I might have caught Lindsey before he got away with the magic necklace. Who knows what he wanted it for?"

"At least no one got hurt." Gunn said "And when Wesley figures out Harmony's vision we can go find Lindsey and kick his ass. I'll even stand back and let you have all the fun."

"That's so sweet." Faith said "But you deserve to get a lick in, he did knock you out."

"Nope," Gunn said "If pounding him to a pulp will make you happy I won't take a second of that away from you. Man if we ever break up I am going to have to rewrite all of my romantic sentiments, they won't work on anybody else." Gunn realized after his initial statement

Faith chuckled. "Sorry Charlie boy."

"I'm not." He leaned forward and kissed her.

…

Lilah entered Lorne's office. "Do you ever answer your phone?"

Lorne was on a cell phone talking to some important starlet. "Right babe, of course he wouldn't know a good performance if it hit him over the head with her Oscar. I promise I'll get right on it. Trust me. I'll get you this part or my name isn't Lorne. Yes. I have to- Yes. Bye."

Lilah raised an eyebrow and Lorne snapped the phone shut. "Your name isn't Lorne."

"What?"

"It's Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan, technically."

Lorne shrugged. "I'll tell her that if she doesn't get the part."

"You never faxed us the paperwork for making that DUI disappear."

"Oh," Lorne began to rifle through his desk. "Sorry, I thought I did."

"Well, you didn't."

Lorne looked up from his searching. "Something wrong pop tart?"

"There will be if you ever call me pop tart again." Lilah said

"You know if you keep frowning like that your face will get stuck that way." Lorne said

Lilah surprised him by chuckling. "Guys don't really come to me for my face."

Lorne gave her a weird look. "Are you all right?"

"Sure," She said "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your aura is a dark storm cloud of trouble."

"The file green jeans," Lilah demanded

Lorne handed it over. "Well if you ever want to talk-" The slamming door cut him off.

…

"All right, new tactic." Wesley said "I'm going to read you examples of various languages Lindsey might use to cast a spell with the necklace and you tell me if any of them sound even remotely familiar." Wesley was at the end of his rope with Harmony.

"How remote exactly can it be?"

Wesley resisted the urge to slam his head into one of his thick books.

…

Fred rocked the baby carrier sitting on her desk while she read through the reports that had been filed in her absence. So far no incidents appeared to have occurred beyond the realm of what they normally dealt with, but they did have a pretty strange definition of normal. She heard someone enter her office and smiled at Angel. "Hey," She said "What's up? How's Harmony?"

"Making things as difficult as possible." Angel said

"Well she does try." Fred said

"We all do our best." Angel said, and then in a lower voice he whispered "We all do our best for daddy." Fred gave him a quizzical look that was met only with a grin. "So do you."

"What?"

"You're an important member of the team Fred."

"Thank you, that's nice to say."

Angel's grin was becoming disconcerting. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure!" Fred jumped up and then gently lifted her daughter out of her carrier. Evi shifted in her mother's hands, squirming like a little piglet. Angelus could picture her sliced into pieces of bacon and served with a side of cute blue baby eyes. Fred handed the baby to Angel and the vampire carefully rocked her in his arms. "You're really good at that." Fred said

"I love children." Angelus said "I always have. They are so innocent." Evangeline began to cry. "Shhhh," Angelus said "Don't cry. Uncle Angel isn't all that bad little one."

"I'll take her." Fred held out her arms for her baby. Angelus didn't respond.

"Her eyes are so blue."

"Yes they are." Fred said, starting to get uncomfortable and unsure why

"They are so breakable. You could drop them and- oops!" Angelus started to drop the baby but caught her before she hit the ground. "They'd shatter into a bunch of pieces."

Fred yelped when her daughter almost hit the ground. She began to shake. "What-"

"Shhhh," But Angelus was no longer addressing the crying baby. "Shh Mommy,"

"Are you under some kind of spell?" She asked in a trembling voice

"The exact opposite, I've had a spell lifted from me."

Fred froze. "Angelus,"

"Hey, you are the smart one." Angelus still had a joyful grin on and he was still rocking the baby in his arms. "I bet you can guess what I'd do to your baby if you screamed for help."

Fred slowly nodded. "Please-"

"Shhhh," Angelus shook his head. "There'll be time for that later."

Tears began to fill Fred's eyes. "I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt-"

"You will do whatever I want." Angelus said "I know. If you disobey any of the orders I give you or try something creative I'll snap your baby's neck like a piece of kindling."

The tears overflowed. Fred's shaking became more pronounced. "I won't do-"

"First stop crying." Fred put her hands to her eyes and wiped away the tears. She pressed against her eyes to stop any further tears. She rubbed at her eyes until all of the salty moisture was gone. "Good girl," Angelus crooned "Your mommy is such a good girl." He told Evangeline

"Ple-"

"But she talks way too much." Angelus said "She must not love you as much as I thought she did." Fred kept her mouth shut. Angelus grinned wider than ever. "We're going to go up to my office and take my private elevator down to my snazzy motor pool. We're going to get in one of my cars and drive away. You aren't going to say a word and you aren't going to give any sign that anything is wrong. If you're a good girl I'll leave Evi in my office when we go so her daddy can find her. If you're a bad girl I'll do the same thing, but she'll be dead. Do you understand?"

Fred nodded. She didn't say a word.

"That's my girl." Angelus grabbed her roughly by the arm, bruising her tender flesh, and kissed her on the mouth. She didn't react in any way to his harsh vicious tongue exploring her mouth as though he owned it. She wanted to push him away, to make him stop. But she held still and kept in mind that he was holding her baby. "He was an idiot for never doing that when he had the chance." Fred turned bright red at the reminder of her long past infatuation with Angel.

Angelus let go of her and left the office. She had no choice but to follow. Any sort of disobedience would result in the death of her daughter. She prayed no one stopped them on the way to his office as she wasn't sure she could remain casual. She prayed he kept his promise and that if she obeyed Evi would live. Most of all Fred prayed that she would wake up.

…

"That's it!" Harmony gleefully bounced up and down on the chair in Wesley's office.

"Are you sure?" Wesley asked wearily

"I recognize one of the word's you just said, the last one."

Wesley looked down at the sample he had been reading from. "That word means mine."

"So whatever Lindsey was doing has something to do with something he owns?"

"Or something he wants to own." Wesley saw Angel and Fred walking toward Angel's office while Angel held and fussed over baby Evangeline. Wesley was tempted to get up and greet them, but he had made very little progress with Harmony. He could talk to them later.

…

Angelus held the baby high up in the air. "Do you think he would have asked you to marry him if he hadn't knocked you up? Do you think it was just his English sense of propriety?"

Fred didn't answer. She just stared at her baby and tried to breathe.

"When I answer a question you answer it." Angelus said in a menacing voice

"He loves me." She whispered

"I always figured he couldn't." Angelus snickered like he had just told a funny joke.

"That's not true. Angel wouldn't think that."

"He was curious about what went on between your baby-daddy and his own father when poor little Wesley was a wee lad. But he never asked. Angel didn't want the hassle of having to deal with someone else's problems. Besides, if he helped Wesley work through his issues Angel wouldn't have a devoted little puppy dog anymore. I had my theories though. I always figured daddy was buggering his little boy." Angelus smirked when he saw Fred's face drain of all color.

"He would have told-"

"No he wouldn't have. Think of how hard you had to work to get just one little anecdote from him about a stupid dead bird. But it turns out I was wrong. Wesley was beaten, neglected, berated, and a bunch of other things, but never molested. I hate being wrong. Don't you?"

"You're sick." Fred's voice contained more hate than Angel had ever thought her capable of feeling, much less expressing. "Angel told us you were bad, but this is beyond imagining."

"Is he a good father Freddy?" Angelus asked "Does he love the thing you made?"

"He's a great father."

"He doesn't snap at her? He doesn't tell her to quit with that incessant crying? He doesn't leave her alone when he has better things to do? He isn't bored or impatient? He will be."

"You're a liar."

"He knows it too. You make him believe. You make him believe that he is more than a continuation of his cursed blood line. But you are a false hope Freddy. You and your devil child are nothing more than a couple of Will-o'-the-wisp in a fetid swamp. You are not a salvation for a broken man. He was damned from the moment he was born, and he passed it on to her."

Fred was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. "Why are you like this?"

"I've been stuck in here since Sunnydale. I came so close to wiping humanity off of this dimension for good and all. Then the auburn witch bitch brought me back. For a while I got to see Angel being tortured, but then the first brought him back. But he was still in pain. As long as he was in pain I could take solace in that. Then he met your lot. You people gave him purpose and you made him feel like a real man. It makes me sick. You make me sick. Your purity and goodness disgusts me and I mean to rip it apart. I mean to show you what a vampire really is."

Fred couldn't speak. She could barely stand. She just kept staring at the monster who had her baby in his hands. Those hands had spilled so much blood. They couldn't have her daughter's no matter what happened. Fred couldn't let that happen. "I did what you asked."

Angelus chuckled. Fred felt as though she had been locked in an ice locker. Her skin was covered in goose bumps. "Yes you did sweetheart. Now is your last chance. If you scream I won't be able to get you out of here before Faith catches us. You can save yourself by setting off those alarms you went through all the trouble to install. You can summon the slayer. Go ahead."

"You'll kill my baby."

"But you'll be spared the fate I have in store for you."

"I would never do anything to hurt my baby."

"You can cut the goody-two shoes act with me darling. If you're worried about what people will think just say that I killed her before you screamed. Mr. Stiff upper lip will never doubt a word that comes out of your canonized lips. Just scream. You can make another."

The tears had started again against her will. "Don't hurt my baby." She wept.

"I won't." He spoke with a benevolent smile. "Do you want to say goodbye?"

Fred was incredulous. "Wh-what?"

Angel pulled her in closer. He put the baby in her arms while he clutched those same arms to prevent her from running away. "This will be the last thing you ever say to her."

Fred's sobbing increased. "Oh God,"

"Go ahead and say goodbye, give her a kiss."

Fred clutched her baby to her. Through her weeping she spoke to her child. "I love you Evangeline more than I have ever loved anybody." She kissed her baby. "Take good care of your daddy for me. I love you both so much." Fred held her child's warm body to her and told herself that she would never let go. The baby was crying now, confused and alarmed. The infant had no idea what was happening, but she sensed the distress in her mother's voice and it bothered her.

Angelus snatched the baby away and put her on Angel's desk. He dragged Fred into Angel's private elevator and pressed the button for the garage. "Don't be so morose."

Now that they were safely away from Evangeline Fred tried to squirm out of Angelus's grip, but she hadn't a chance. When the door opened he dragged her to one of the cars, his hands clamped on her arms like a vice. The pain was intense, but not as intense as her terror. She tried to restrain her sobs as she knew they couldn't help her, but she was unsuccessful. Angelus opened the passenger door to the car and tried to shove her in like a stuffed animal into a toy box that was too full. She squirmed and writhed, trying to get away, and then he punched her in the gut with such force that all oxygen was dispelled from her body. Fred could put up no resistance as he pushed her into the car. He pulled out a knife she hadn't seen on him before and her eyes widened with more terror even as they watered with pain. She had never been hit that hard the whole time she had been working for Angel. Her pain receptors screamed in protest. Even in Pylea she had never been hit that hard. She was sure her abdomen was going to darken and form a large black bruise. That was if he didn't cut her throat. He cut a piece of the seatbelt and used it to bind her hands together. He shut the door and then got into the car and drove away. The more the distance between them and Wolfram & Hart lengthened the farther down her heart sank into her body and the less she believed that she might ever see her daughter or her fiancé again.

…

"What's that noise?" Harmony asked

"What noise?" Wesley mumbled as he flipped through a book

"It sounds like a baby crying." Harmony said

"Well it probably is." Wesley considered going to check the noise out but he wasn't sure Fred would appreciate the implication that she couldn't handle her own daughter's tears.

"It just keeps going."

Wesley didn't hear anything. But he wasn't a vampire. "Where's it coming from?"

"Angel's office."

"I'll-" He stopped. "Harmony tell me if this is what you heard." Wesley stared down at his book as he recited an ancient spell that hadn't been used for thousands of years.

"That's it!" Her boundless enthusiasm would be endearing under far different circumstances, but Wesley could barely breathe. "What does it mean? Is it bad?"

"It's a spell for summoning souls."

…

Angelus pulled Fred into the lobby of the Hyperion. They were both surprised to see Drusilla waiting there, but she wasn't surprised to see either of them. "Oh daddy you kept me waiting for so long." Drusilla moaned "Is that for me? Is it a birthday present?"

"Yes Dru dear, I'm going to create a sister for you."

Drusilla shrieked with joy. "Oh thank you daddy!"

Fred felt her heart stop. "No,"

"Shhh," Angelus put his lips on the corner of Fred's. "Not yet,"

"Why not daddy?" Dru asked in a petulant voice

"Because of you precious, because of your lovely idea. I'm going to recreate our family."

"Oh daddy! Fabulous!"

Angelus gave her a look that was part doting father, part loving husband, and part hungry shark, the resulting combination was dreadful. "I'm going to drive her mad, as mad as you."

"She'll be just like me?"

"Just like you."

Fred struggled to get away. "No, no, no, no,"

Angelus slapped her so hard her head snapped back. Fred whimpered. "Can I have a taste daddy, just an itty bitty one?" Drusilla pleaded "She looks so good, so nice and warm."

"Of course my lovely, I can never deny you." Angelus grabbed Fred's hair and wretched her head back, baring her neck. Fred felt her pulse accelerate. "Just a taste," Drusilla approached and grabbed Fred's shoulders. Drusilla sank her teeth into Fred's fair skin. Fred felt her blood leaving her body through her jugular. She felt a struggle and with a horrible ripping Drusilla's teeth were dislodged from her neck. The pain of the exit was far more than the pain when Drusilla had first bit into her. Fred saw Angelus backhand Drusilla. "I said just a taste."

Dru grinned, her lips red with blood. "Would you love me if I were obedient?"

Angelus leered at her. "No," He grabbed her and pulled her to him. He put his lips over hers and tasted Fred's blood on them. Fred tried to get away while he was distracted, but his grip was no weaker and she only hurt herself trying to break it. When Angelus was done making out with Drusilla he started to drag Fred up the stairs. They stopped outside of her old room and she closed her eyes. Of course he would bring her here. He had all of Angel's memories and he knew she loved this room. So of course he would turn it into a place of pain. He threw her onto the bed and then paused, seeing a toolbox on the nightstand that had never been there before.

Dru entered the room. "I got you all the things you like daddy." Dru said

Angelus's grin widened. "You're the best thing I ever made Dru." He opened the tool box and pulled out a spool of piano wire. Fred closed her eyes. She didn't want to see what else was in the toolbox. She felt him cut her bonds and then bind her wrists to the bedframe with the piano wire. They dug into her skin and if she moved at all they cut and caused blood to flow down her arms. She felt his hand on her leg. She stiffened. She kept her eyes closed and tried to block out the sound of Drusilla's giggling. She felt his breath on her face as he whispered his plan into her ear. "I've got plenty of time to drive you mad. I can't turn you until I have my new Darla ready. I picked Faith. She'll be perfect. It will take a while to beat her down to the point where I can turn her. Until then I won't even think of killing you." His hot breath left her face and a second later she felt his fangs bite into her thigh and her femoral artery. She didn't want to scream, but she had to. It hurt so badly. She felt his lips, warm and sticky with her blood, on her face again. "I will have the occasional taste though. That's delicious. I should have had a bite of the baby for comparison." She was disgusted by the blood on her face. But soon that was the farthest thing from her mind as she felt cold steel penetrate her skin. Her eyes snapped open and she cried out again. She saw his smiling face and she whimpered. "That's a pretty ring."

"What?" She was confused.

Angelus touched Fred's engagement ring and then he broke her finger. She screamed again, unable to ignore the agony. He took the ring from the broken finger. "You won't be needing that love. When I'm done he won't want you. No man will. Even the obligation he owes you as the father of your child won't be enough to keep him by your side. You'll disgust him."

Fresh tears poured from her eyes as she watched him pocket the ring. "Please, there must be some part of Angel in you. Please have mercy on me. You don't have to do this. Please."

"Angel's gone babe. He's never coming back." She closed her eyes again, not wanting to see what came next. She yelped in pain and in terror, which caused him to laugh. "Oh don't be like that. You know you always wanted this. You wanted him to touch you in a naughty way."

"Please stop,"

"She thinks you are the Angel-beast daddy." Drusilla said

"Guess she's not so smart after all."

Fred squeezed her eyes shut tighter as she felt the piano wire dig deeper into her wrists and blood flowed down her limbs. She tried to think of anything else. She remembered sitting down in the park and just staring at the diamond on her finger. She remembered watching Wesley put their daughter in her crib and seeing the look of love on his face. She remembered going to sleep feeling warm and safe and imagining what her wedding would be like. But the memories kept running away as the pain came in and shoved everything out. She screamed.

…

"Get Faith!"

"I don't-"

"Do it Harmony!" Wesley ran into Angel's office. Later it occurred to him he should have grabbed a weapon first, but he was too late anyway. Wesley picked up his daughter and tried to soothe her, but his own panic was obvious in his tenor and body language.

Gunn and Lilah entered the office. "What's going on?" Gunn asked

Wesley turned to face them. Gunn had never seen Wesley look so ill, and he had seen the man in a hospital bed recovering from a gunshot. "The reason Lindsey stole the amulet was to summon Angelus. That was what was happening in Harmony's vision."

Gunn's jaw dropped. "What?"

Lilah looked at the baby. "Did he hurt her?" She sounded more curious than concerned.

Wesley shook his head.

"That doesn't make sense." Lilah said

"Well why don't we try to just be grateful that-"

Wesley cut Gunn off. "She's right. It doesn't make sense."

Angel's phone rang. Wesley picked it up and listened to Faith order him to her office.

…

Harmony entered Lorne's office without knocking. "Just a second Harmonica,"

Harmony flipped Lorne's desk over. He gaped at her. "Evil-Angel has Fred."

Lorne dropped his phone without even hanging up and ran out of the room. Harmony could barely keep up despite her supernatural speed. "Faith wants you in her office!"

They arrived at the slayer's office and got to see Faith, Wesley, Gunn, and Lilah watching security camera footage of Angelus hitting Fred and forcing her into one of Angel's many luxurious cars. Wesley spoke in a monotone. "She never had a chance."

"She had no way of knowing." Gunn said

"He'll kill her." Wesley was obviously in shock. Lone wondered if someone should take the fussing baby from his arms. "He'll torture her and then he'll kill her. He'll-"

Faith cut him off. She took over the situation with such unquestioning authority that all anyone could do was bend to her will. "Lilah go find Spike. He knows Angelus better than anybody alive, or dead. If he hasn't left yet bring him in. Gunn use our legal recourses to get the cops looking for Angelus. Have them put an APB out on the car he took. Wesley you need to sing for Lorne, you're the one most likely for him to see where she is in. Harmony field all of Angel's calls and anybody who comes looking for him. Nobody outside of this room finds out about this and I'm counting on you for that. I'm going to hit the streets. Let's go people."

Gunn, Lilah, and Harmony rushed off to obey the slayer. Lorne gently took Wesley's arm and tried to lead him from the room. "I'll go with you." Wesley told Faith "We can look-"

"Do what I told you." Faith strode from the room.

Since Faith's office was now empty Lorne decided to take advantage of the space. He led Wesley to a chair and got him to sit down. "He'll kill her Lorne. I studied him. I know what he does to people. He'll take his time and he'll make it painful. He'll do things to her."

Lorne tried to keep his own horror and fear inside. "Faith will find them."

"Why did he take her? She's innocent. Why couldn't it be anybody but her?"

"Wes-"

"My daughter needs her mother. This can't be happening. Why was it her?"

Lorne recognized the signs of Acute stress reaction. "Wesley you need to sing."

"What?"

"Sing, I might see where Fred is."

"I can't remember any songs."

Lorne found that he couldn't remember any either. He looked at Evangeline. "Just repeat after me okay." Lorne remembered one song, it was the only one he could. "L is for the way you look at me. O is for the only one I see." Lorne's voice had none of his characteristic mirth or liveliness, it was sad and lethargic. Wesley mumbled the words as they were relayed to him and Lorne got a wash of emotion. There was pain and suffering in every note, but Lorne couldn't see where the man's fiancée was. All he could see was so much panic that it was choking Lorne and it had shut Wesley down. Wesley had read detailed reports about all of Angelus's most horrific crimes and he was picturing the woman he loved in each of those situations. The images made Lorne ill. "Wesley we'll find her. We aren't going to let anything happen to Fred."

"She can't die. This can't be happening. It can't be her."

Evangeline began to wail with renewed fervor. Wesley rocked the baby. "Don't cry Evi."

Lorne walked over to Wes and knelt down in front of him. "We'll get them back."

Wesley began to sob spastic racking sobs. Wesley leaned into Lorne and wept along with his infant child. "We have to get them back. I can't go on without her. I just can't. I need her."

"We all do Wesley. We all need her. We'll get them back. I promise."

"You can't know that. You didn't see it."

"Wesley…" Lorne faltered "I may not be able to see the future but-"

"I can." They turned around and there was a vampire in the doorway. "I saw her."

Wesley jumped to his feet. "Where was she?!"

"I don't-"

Wesley handed Evi to Lorne. He grabbed Harmony's shoulders. "What did you see?!"

She flinched as he began to shake her. "She was in pain."

Wesley's hands slid off her shoulder. He made a pathetic whimpering sound. "Where?"

"I don't-"

"Can't you do anything Harmony?! Why did Cordy give you this gift?! You clearly can't handle it!" Evi was now howling while Lorne tried to soothe her. "Where was she?!"

"She's alive Wesley." Harmony said weakly "He hasn't killed her yet."

Wesley flinched. "Will he?"

Harmony looked at the ground. "I don't know why Cordelia picked me. I'm so sorry that I couldn't remember what Lindsey said in time. I like Fred. She's nice to me. I'm trying."

Wesley took in a deep breath. His voice became calm, efficient. "Was she in a room?"

"On a bed." Harmony said "A bed with green sheets."

"Was there anything personal in the room, anything to indicate who lived there?"

Harmony shook her head. "It was empty. There was nothing… I think it was a hotel."

"A… I know where she is." Wesley ran.

"Wes!" Lorne handed Evi to Harmony. "Watch the baby."

"You got it."

"Don't… Ya know."

Harmony gave Lorne a dirty look. Lorne ran after Wesley. "Wesley where-" But before he could finish the question he knew the answer. Lorne pulled out his cell phone to call Faith.

…

Drusilla sat down at the bedside of the bloody trembling woman. Angelus was in the bathroom taking a shower. Drusilla ran her hand through Fred's hair. Fred whimpered and opened her eyes to look at Drusilla. "Please," Her voice shook like an unbalanced washing machine as she pleaded with the lovely monster. "I just want to go home to my baby."

"You will. But we aren't done with you yet." Drusilla chuckled. "We have some more love to give you. You're a part of our family and we have to dote upon you my lovely."

"I don't want to be a part of your family." Fred said weakly

"You should have thought of that before you befriended the Angel-beast."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please let me go."

"No little sister-"

Fred felt a surge of anger and it replenished the reserves of strength she had thought were empty for good. "I am not your sister." She said in a harsh furious voice "I never will be."

Drusilla giggled. "Oh," She put her hands around Fred's neck and squeezed. "You are ours, little sister. When you give in, when you're like me, you'll see that it is better."

Angelus came out of the bathroom wet and covered with nothing but a towel. He laughed in response to Drusilla's cruelty. "Be careful Dru. If you kill her I can't turn her."

"I would never kill my sister. That's for you daddy." Dru let go of Fred. Fred gasped for air while Angelus eyed the red handprints on her neck. "They're coming daddy."

"Who is sweet?"

"His friends. They know we're here."

Angelus took a pair of wire cutters out of the toolbox and approached Fred. Fred tried to squirm away, but he just cut the piano wire. He unwound it from her wrists and then yanked her up from the bed. "I know just where to go. Dru get the car." He tossed her the keys.

Fred tried once more. "You have all of his memories. You remember stuff like love and compassion and mercy. Please just let me go. Please let me go home to my baby."

Angelus threw her against the wall. Fred flinched at the pain of her head smacking into the wall. He put his mouth over her ear. "I will strip you down to the bone. I will take from you until you cannot remember that you have a child. I will turn you into something that would devour her without a thought. I will ruin you. Then I will have mercy, when it is a cruelty."

Fred was sobbing as he dragged her down the stairs while Drusilla's laughter rang throughout the lobby that was the background to so many happy memories for Fred.

…

Faith entered the lobby holding a crossbow. Her slayer senses told her that Angelus had been here, but wasn't anymore. Other people had also been here. She approached the staircase with the utmost caution. Just because she thought the hotel was empty didn't mean she couldn't be wrong. She went to the ajar door. She pushed it open with her foot and didn't so much as blanch at the scent and sight of blood. She walked over to the bed and noticed a slimy white fluid stained the sheets with the viscous red one. This did make her avert her eyes. She heard footsteps downstairs and she rushed to the staircase. She pointed her crossbow at the figure in the lobby and then slightly lowered it when Spike looked at her. "You wanted me in on this, remember?"

"Lilah found you."

"She's good at finding things."

"Angelus was here." Faith said

"So was Dru."

"How can you tell?"

Spike gave her a disdainful look. "I spent over a hundred years with her."

"Where did they go?"

"They took a car."

"They have Fred." Faith said

"I know." Spike hesitated. "He won't kill her."

"Why not?" Faith knew the answer, but she had to ask.

Spike stared at the ground. "He'll milk her for every ounce of suffering he can get."


	16. Shells

Faith was back in the room where Angelus had tortured Fred when she heard Wesley, Lorne, and Gunn enter the lobby. She went down to meet them. She gave her attention to Gunn, ignoring Wesley's panic. "What have the cops turned up?" From her demeanor you wouldn't know that Faith had any personal investment in this case. You might think it was just a job.

"They pulled over a car with Angel's plates. Angelus had switched plates with someone at a gas station without him noticing. We have an APB out on the plates of the guy Angelus switched with as well as any car matching the description, but so far we haven't turned up anything that might lead us to Angelus or Fred. This is a big city, they could be anywhere."

"Not anywhere," Spike said solemnly "That wouldn't be any fun."

Wesley snapped. "Fun! Fred is in the clutches of a sadistic psychopath and-"

"Wesley!" Faith said "If you have nothing helpful to say remove yourself."

Everyone but Spike stared at the slayer. "Faith-" Gunn began

"Our only priority is to find Angelus and Fred." Faith said "To do that we have to try to get into his head. That's what Spike is doing. Wes if you can't handle your emotions you're no good to me or this case. Go back to the office, watch your kid. Emotions won't help us."

Wesley blinked. "I can handle myself."

"Wes," Lorne said "Maybe you should-"

"I've studied Angelus." Wesley said "I can be useful."

"He won't take her somewhere random." Spike said "Everywhere he goes will be somewhere that has meaning to Angel. He will want to destroy every link to humanity he has."

"He can't get into Wolfram & Hart." Faith said "I saw to that and he'll know I have."

"Because he knows you." Wesley said "He knows all of us. He knows what we'll guess."

"Where he went next won't have anything to do with you." Spike said "It will be all about Angel. Does Angel have any friends outside of you lot? I wouldn't think-"

Wesley interrupted. "I know where he went."

…

Lilah was surprised when she walked up to Harmony's desk and saw the vampire caring for Evangeline. "I wouldn't think that Wesley would trust you with his daughter." Lilah said

"Well shows you." Harmony said "But it was Lorne really. Wes is kind of out of it."

Lilah walked up to the vampire and looked at the tiny baby. Evi was playing with Harmony's hair, tugging at it and putting the long golden strands in her mouth. The vampire didn't seem to mind. "What are you going to feed her when she gets hungry?"

"Fred might have some bottles in the fridge in her office. If not I can order some formula and expense it. Except Angel is supposed to sign off on all of my expenses and he isn't here."

"No," Lilah said "He has left the building, maybe for good."

Harmony looked down at the innocent child who had no idea that her mother was currently being tortured by a monster. "So Angelus is a demon that lives inside Angel?"

"Essentially," Lilah said "It's complicated."

"Lindsey set him free?"

"Yes,"

"Why?"

Lilah smiled. "Lindsey hates Angel, and the only person who hates Angel more than Lindsey is Angelus. Angelus will do to Angel what Lindsey cannot. He will destroy him."

Harmony shifted the baby in her arms. "Will Angelus kill Fred?"

"Probably,"

Harmony glared at Lilah. "Do you even care?"

"It's not my job to care."

"Wow, you really are an evil bitch."

Lilah shrugged. "I keep telling people that."

"But Angelus can't kill Fred." Harmony whined "Then Evi won't have a mom."

"That's not how the world works Harmony. Having a kid doesn't grant you immortality."

"Can't I make myself have another vision and see where Fred is so Faith can save her?"

Harmony almost thought she heard sympathy in Lilah's voice. "I doesn't work that way."

"Well it should." Harmony stamped her foot like a toddler about to have a tantrum.

Evangeline sensed the tension and began to fuss. Over the last few hours there had been a lot of shouting and negative vibes. The infant knew nothing of the cause of the turmoil, only that she wanted her mother to rock her or her father to talk to her. But neither of her parents picked her up or tried to soothe her. She registered neither of their familiar voices and felt neither of their familiar embraces. She cried while the woman with the hair that tasted like strawberries entreated her to stop. Evi didn't understand strawberry-hair woman, she just wanted her mom.

…

Fred was in the backseat with Dru staring at the house Angelus had gone into about ten minutes ago. Drusilla ran her fingers up and down Fred's various body parts. Fred remembered how Drusilla had drank deeply from her despite Angelus's instructions. Horrified at her own line of thinking Fred hoped Angelus came back soon. Dru fondled Fred's cheek. Fred closed her eyes and wondered where Evi was right now. "I see apples and roses, red on white like bloody snow."

Fred didn't even try to interpret that. She wondered if they knew yet. They had to know she was missing by now. It was dark outside, Wesley would be worried. Did they know that Angelus had somehow gotten free? Fred wondered how it had happened. If they knew Angelus had her how were they reacting? What must Wesley be thinking right now? He must have found Evangeline by now. But what if he hadn't? What if she had been alone all this time? Fred shook with anxiety while Drusilla continued to touch her in all manner of inappropriate and unwanted ways, whispering her insane contemplations as she did so. Fred knew it was pointless to beg after her earlier begging had achieved so little, but she couldn't take it anymore. "Just stop."

Drusilla chortled. "I've only begun."

Fred opened her mouth to say something, but then the door to the car was opened and Angelus yanked her out. She tried to run away, figuring that this was the best chance she would ever have to get free. He clamped his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and he forced her into the house. On the living room floor a woman and her young daughter were lying still, drained of all their blood. The child was without a doubt still in elementary school and Fred stared at the two puncture marks in her neck while Angelus dragged her upstairs into the room of Nina the werewolf girl. Nina was tied to the bed with a gag in her mouth and not a stitch of clothing to cover her. She was trying to get loose, but her efforts were fruitless. "Dru my dear, this one is for you." Nina's eyes lit up with recognition when she saw Fred, who was the one who had freed her when she had been about to be dined upon. But Nina quickly realized that Fred was in no position to help her this time. "You can do whatever you want, and Freddy and I are going to watch. Just wait a moment." Angelus took a chair from the vanity and positioned it so that the person sitting in it would have a clear view of the bed. He held Fred still while he forced her out of the remains of her clothes. She fought with all she had, but doing so only seemed to excite him. When she was as naked as Nina Angelus forced her into the chair and used piano wire to bind her wrists to the chair arms. He knelt down behind her and held her head so that she couldn't look away. If she tried to close her eyes he pinched her breasts and twisted until she opened them. She hated that he could control her like this, that he could use her own body against her. But he had only just begun to do that. His earlier attacks on her had been rough and angry, causing her intense pain and making her bleed. Now he moved his hands over her body with a gentle insistence, touching her in all the ways she used to think about years ago when she had been crushing on him. She knew why he was doing this, but that didn't make it any less humiliating to have to endure. She felt a deep sense of shame especially when Drusilla began to go to work on Nina. Fred closed her eyes and resolved to keep them closed no matter what Angelus did to her. But the pain built and built until she had to open them and watch Drusilla torture Nina. Nina's screams were muffled by her gag, but it was obvious to Fred how much pain the young woman was in, on top of having just seen her sister and niece murdered. In terms of physical agony Fred wasn't in nearly as much pain now as she had been at the Hyperion, but she would go back to that in a second to escape this. Watching Drusilla torture the young woman she had once believed they had saved was bad enough. Feeling Angelus's hands, Angel's hands, move over her body in the way they were was unbearable. It was debasing. He wasn't doing it for the sadistic pleasure the earlier torture had been meant to achieve, he was doing this just to screw up her head. In this moment there was nothing in it for him. It was only in the long term that what he was doing would pay off. He really was trying to drive her insane. Fred told herself that she wasn't going to let it happen. She would stay strong, she would stay alive. But deep down she knew she couldn't last forever. She knew it would only be so long before she broke.

…

Lorne had gone back to Wolfram & Hart. It was Faith, Wesley, Spike, and Gunn who pulled up to Nina's house. "Do you need to stay here?" Faith asked Wesley

"Don't patronize me." Wesley said in an angry voice

"I'm not letting you go in that house unless I'm confident you can follow orders."

Wesley clenched his fists. They didn't have time for this. "All right," He said through gritted teeth "I can follow orders. Now can we please go inside?"

"They're gone." Spike said "Angel and Dru left."

"We're still on high alert." Faith said "Gunn you're with me, Spike you bring up the rear with Wes. Don't forget to look around corners before you enter a room. Once Angelus has you in his grip if he wants you dead you're gone. Do not let him get the drop on you."

When they entered the house the dead woman and her lifeless child greeted them with their still presence. Faith looked upstairs. "You didn't have to do that." Gunn whispered

"Yes I did." She spoke without inflection

"If Angelus had you I-"

"If Angelus had me I'd already be dead. So don't worry about that."

They all reached the top of the stairs and before Gunn could respond Faith pushed open the door to Nina's bedroom. Nina was dead. Her mutilated corpse was almost unrecognizable as a human being, but Spike recognized the scent of werewolf blood. Their focus however was on the naked trembling woman tied to a chair with piano wire. She was sobbing uncontrollably and bleeding profusely. Wesley rushed over to her. Spike took off his long leather jacket and handed it to Wesley to drape over his fiancée. "Fred," Wesley whispered in a hoarse voice

"Don't," She begged

"Fred it's me. It's Wesley. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Don't touch me. Don't look at me. I can't have you looking at me."

"Fred…"

Faith walked up and cut the wire binding Fred. She then left the room, gesturing for Gunn and Spike to follow her. "They were just here." Faith said "If we hurry we can track them."

"Dru is warning him every time we close in." Spike said "We'll never catch up."

"He killed an entire household, three people, in one day. That's just the victims we've seen ourselves. We have to find him and capture him before he hurts anybody else."

"And then what?" Spike asked

"And then we find out how to undo what Lindsey did." Faith said simply

"What if we-" Faith didn't let Spike finish.

"I'll stake anybody who tries to kill Angelus. I don't care if they're human or vampire, it works on both. Trust me I know. If he has to be put down I'll do it myself."

"Who exactly is it that put you in charge?" Spike asked

"If you have a problem with me being in charge you can go." Faith said

Spike hesitated before shaking his head. "I don't have a problem."

"Gunn get our people on this." Faith said "Gas leak maybe?"

"What? You want to cover this up?" Gunn was bewildered

"Would you prefer an investigation?"

"I guess not…"

"Keep an eye on Wes and Fred too. He might not be able to handle this." Faith started down the staircase, done with her boyfriend for the time being. "Come on Spike."

Spike and Gunn exchanged a look and then set to obeying the slayer.

…

Wesley wrapped the jacket around Fred. "Medical is on its way." He told her

"Go away." She begged "Don't look at me. Please leave me alone."

Wesley unwound the remaining wire from her wrists. "Fred it's me." He pleaded

She slumped against him. "Don't hate me. Please don't hate me."

Wesley was shocked by her plea. "What are you talking about? I could never hate you."

"You don't know what he did. You don't know what I let him do to me."

"Fred this isn't your fault." Her light shaking frame trembled against him and the lack of strength he felt from her along with the frenetic convulsions terrified him. "How could you blame yourself for what he did to you? You have no culpability in anything that has happened."

"He made me watch." Her tears stained his shirt. "He made me watch Drusilla kill her."

Wesley wrapped his arms around her. "That isn't your fault, there was no way you could have saved her. I'm just so grateful that you're alive." Her agonizing sobs shook him.

"I'm not. I wish I was dead. I wish he had killed me."

"Don't say that." Now Wesley was crying. "What about Evi?"

"Evi! Is she okay? Where is she?"

"She's okay, she's fine. Lorne is watching her." Wesley assured her

"He was going to kill her. I had to let him take me or he would have killed her."

"Shhh," He gripped her tighter. "I know. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you."

"He said he was going to turn me. He said he was going to make me like her."

"You're safe now. He can't do anything more to you."

"She's a monster. Don't let me be a monster Wesley. Don't let me be like her."

"Shhh," Wesley heard the medical team from Wolfram & Hart enter the room. "I won't let anything else happen to you. I promise. Angelus will never get near you again."

…

Gunn watched their employees load Fred into the back of the private ambulance and then Wesley get in with her. He continued his phone conversation with Lilah about the paperwork for the fake gas leak that had killed the Ash family. He went back into Nina's room. Fred's blood was on the chair in front of the bed and Gunn averted his eyes. Of course he felt bad for Nina, but it was different with Fred. He loved her, always would. Someone had to pay for what had happened to her. He noticed something on the vanity and walked over to it. A piece of paper folded into thirds rested against the mirror. He considered not touching it in order to preserve the evidence and then rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. He knew exactly who was responsible for all of this. He picked up the paper and his eyes widened. The paper contained a skilled accurate detailed nude study of Faith. Gunn didn't know if Angel had ever seen his girlfriend naked, or if Angelus just had a good imagination, but either way he was pissed. This was a taunt meant for the slayer. Gunn crumpled up the piece of paper and shoved it into his pockets.

…

Angelus dropped the body of the teenage girl on the dirty street. He slipped a card that contained the contact information for Charles Gunn attorney at law into her pocket and then turned to look at Dru. Angel had picked the girls and then let Dru decide which one she wanted and which one Angelus would have. They had drained the girls fast. The young women's blood had the sweet taste of virgins. Angelus hadn't chosen them for that reason though. He had chosen them because they looked like Alonna. Dru put a card in her victim's pocket as well and then looked at Angelus for approval. "What will this do daddy? Will the bad man get in trouble?"

"No, but he'll hurt. They'll all hurt."

"Who are we going to hurt next daddy?" Dru asked

"Faith, it was always about Faith."

"Why?" Drusilla was eager, excited.

Angelus grinned at her. He pulled her to him and kissed her roughly. "She's the best thing he ever did. She's the most he's ever done for the goody goods. He took a force for evil in the world and helped her become a force for good. That's a hard thing to do pet."

"And you're going to change her back?"

"I'm going to make her worse than ever."

Drusilla squealed with excitement. "And her blood will be changed?"

That was an odd way to put it. "She'll be one of us."

"A monster,"

"Yes Dru, a monster." Angelus looked around. "They don't find us right?"

"Not until you want them to."

"Good, let's go play."

"What are we going to play?"

"Who, Dru. Who are we going to play?"

"Who are we going to play daddy?"

"I know a nice young thing, she's positively electrifying."

…

Wesley sat next to Fred's bedside. She lay there with her eyes closed, trying to make herself lose consciousness. It hadn't worked yet, but she would keep trying. "Fred?"

She shook her head, eyes still closed. "No, no."

"Fred the doctor told me that you wouldn't let her… look at you."

"Don't touch me." She begged "Nobody can ever touch me ever again."

"Fred the doctor just wants to help you. She's not going to hurt you."

Fred flinched, as though this were a threat. "Go away." She said

"I'll leave if you want, but you really do need to let the doctor take a look at you. She can help you. You need medical attention if you're going to recover. I know you're trumati-"

She sat up in bed suddenly. "Shut up! Just shut up! Go away!"

Wesley recoiled as though she were a frightening demon. "Fred-"

"You don't have to stay here. You don't have to pretend you still care." She was bitter.

Wesley stared at Fred with an absolute lack of comprehension. "What?"

"I know what you must think. I know you must hate me." She whispered

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you think I think?"

"You know what I let Angelus do to me, you know what I let him-"

"Fred," He couldn't let her finish. "You didn't let him do anything to you."

"You don't understand. You don't know what he made me do."

"Fred he _made_ you. That's not anything that you are responsible for."

"You don't understand."

She was right, he didn't. He was at an absolute loss. "Explain it to me then."

Fred stared down at the broken finger on her right hand. At first Wesley didn't understand what her next words had to do with anything. "He took my ring."

The ring he had given her in the park was gone, he hadn't even noticed. He had been far more concerned with her physical condition. "I'll buy you another one." He said

"No you won't, you won't want to marry me."

"Fred of course I-"

Her sobbing cut him off. "He told me you wouldn't want me after he was done and I didn't believe him. But I didn't know how far he was willing to go. I didn't know what he was capable of. I thought I could just close my eyes and wait for it to be over. But he kept going until I couldn't fight anymore. I just broke. I'm broken now and you must hate me so much."

He reached out to touch her and then stopped, uncertain if that was wise. "Fred,"

"You don't even want to touch me." She said "Because I'm dirty."

"No I- That's not true." He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.

"I tried not to listen to any of the stuff he said. He told me things about all of us. I knew they were all lies, but he told me things about myself. He got it all right. So was the stuff he said about you true as well? He told me you would hate me just like you do your mother."

Wesley paled. How much did Angel know about him? Wesley had never told Angel about his childhood, but the vampire could be perceptive at times. "I don't hate my mother."

"He knew that story you told me, the one about the bird."

"I never told anyone but you that story."

"He knows everything about us Wesley. It's like magic."

"Maybe he knows things about us, but what he said about how I feel about you is a lie."

Fred shook her head. "That's because you don't know."

"Know what? There's nothing you can say that would-"

"He made me feel."

Wesley still didn't get it. "Feel wha- oh."

"I'm all messed up now. I'm just like Drus-"

"You are nothing like Drusilla." Wesley's voice must have come out angrier than he had meant for it to because Fred whimpered and pressed back into her infirmary bed. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's too late for sorry." Fred said

"How about I love you?"

"You don't. Maybe you want to, maybe you think you should, but you can't."

Wesley reached for her hand again and this time she let him take it. He kissed the top of her hand. "I love you now as much as I ever did or ever will, as much as I can love anyone."

"He said you couldn't."

"Fred it doesn't matter what Angelus said. I will always be here for you and I will always love you. Nothing that son of a bitch says or does can change that. Nothing in the world can."

Fred looked at the wall, keeping her eyes away from his face. "Is he gone?"

"Angel?"

Fred nodded.

"I don't know." Wesley said "Lindsey's spell summoned his soul. It should be trapped in the amulet he stole. Theoretically if we get the amulet we can bring Angel back."

"Would he remember?"

Wesley felt her hand tighten around his. "He always has before."

"He would remember what I did. He would remember what Angelus did to me."

"Yes," Wesley was just as horrified by the thought as Fred.

"Poor Angel,"

Wesley was a little stunned by the sentiment. "How can you feel bad for him after what just happened to you? At least he wasn't- Angel got off easy compared to you."

Fred shook her head. "You know that's not true. You know he got it worse."

Wesley looked at the floor. He understood her point. When he looked up she was staring at him with fear in her eyes. "What is it?" He asked "What's happening?"

"You really don't hate me?" She said in a pleading voice

He reached out and cupped her cheek. "Never,"

"I want my baby." Her tears chilled his skin. "But I'm afraid to go near her."

"She wants you too." Wesley said "I'll call Lorne and have him bring her here."

"A lot of it was true wasn't it?" Fred asked "Your dad used to beat you up."

Wesley removed his hand from her face. He started to release his grip on her hand, but she tightened her own grip so he didn't. "It doesn't matter. I used to think it did, but it doesn't."

"That's why you didn't want kids before?"

He nodded. "I was afraid."

"Angelus did lie." Fred said "He said you would be like your dad. But you're a really great father. If he lied about that he must have lied about the other stuff too, right?"

"Yes Fred, he lied."

"And I'm not bad?"

He kissed her brow. "Not in the slightest."

"Wesley promise me something."

"Anything,"

"If he turns me-"

"Fred-"

"Wesley promise me." Her voice was becoming frantic.

"Okay, I promise." He said to soothe her

"If he kills me, you won't let me come back?"

He nodded. "I'll make sure you don't come back."

"He told me he was coming back for me."

He pulled her into his arms. At first she was stiff, but after a moment she let herself rest against him. "We won't let him. You're safe here. The building is secure, and I'm not going to leave your side for a moment. You will never have to see Angelus again. He will never get you."

She nodded. "Okay,"

He released her. "I'll call Lorne and he can bring Evi."

She nodded again. "Okay," He started to take out his cell phone. "Wesley,"

"Yes," She looked into his eyes. They promised to do anything for her. They told her that she was the most precious thing in the world. They were so very sad. She wished they weren't.

"I love you." Fred told him

For a moment a bit of the sadness was washed away, just for a moment. "I love you too."

…

Faith stood in the middle of the crime scene trying to reconstruct it in her mind. She was on the phone with Lilah while she worked. "Does Gunn know about the cards?" She asked

"I kept it from him when I told him about the report, I figured you would want me to."

"You were right. Keep me posted on any other suspicious murders." Spike was staring at her when she hung up. "What?" She knelt down next to a body and examined her neck.

"I thought you didn't care about anybody's feelings anymore."

"Gunn is no good to me if he's obsessing over why Angelus chose to leave his cards specifically at this crime scene. That might very well have been Angelus's intention in doing so."

"I don't think so."

"He had no connection to these girls." Faith said "I ran them through our database."

"Maybe he knew them back when he was a street kid."

"He didn't. They were both from middle-class families."

Spike thought for a moment. "Maybe they look like someone he used to know."

Faith straightened abruptly. "What?"

"They look a little alike, maybe they are meant to resemble someone in particular."

Faith remembered a night of passionate love-making. She remembered digging through his nightstand for a condom and coming across a photograph. She teased him with mock-jealous inquiries on whether she was an old girlfriend. He had answered in the negative before snatching the picture away. Then he had apologized. That was the night she learned about Alonna. "Yeah,"

"What is it?" The vampire asked

"Did you know about his sister?"

Spike shook his head. "I didn't know he had one."

"Well she's dead."

"Explains why I never heard of her,"

Faith dialed Lilah again. She was sure Wolfram & Hart would have a picture on file.

…

Gwen sat down to a table arranged in the most elegant fashion to house a gourmet meal for one person. All the pomp made her feel even lonelier, but it was a habit. She heard a knock on her door and dropped a fork. She got up and ran to the front of her apartment. This place was almost impossible to find, who could be here? She was surprised when she saw Angel on the security feed. She used her power to open the door. "Angel," She said as she gestured for him to enter, unsure if she had to invite him again or last time still counted. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He entered, so the previous invitation must be sufficient.

"Do you want something to- Sorry, I forgot you don't eat."

"Were you about to have dinner?"

"Yes,"

"Well I'd love to sit down with you."

Gwen nodded and led him to the dining table. "It's been a while."

"Yes it has." He said "I fear I neglected our friendship."

"Hm," Gwen wasn't sure how to respond. She sat down but was unsure if it would be rude to eat in front of him. "I could call a butcher's and get you something." She offered

He chuckled. "I'm fine Gwen. Eat,"

She started at her onion soup, painfully aware that it would make kissing her a less appealing prospect. "Is there a reason you stopped by, or were you just in the neighborhood?"

He chuckled again. It was a strange sound, unlike Angel. "Nobody is ever just in the neighborhood Gwen. That has never been true in the history of flirtation."

"Is that what you're doing, flirting?"

"I just had a messy break-up."

Gwen nodded. She had no idea what to say. "With… what was her name? Cordelia?"

"No, that didn't work out. This girl's name was Nina. She was a werewolf."

"Ah, sure."

Angel's grin was starting to make her uncomfortable. "I remembered your offer."

She blushed. That was blunt. She wasn't sure why that made her feel awkward, she had been just as blunt when she made the offer. But something was off. "I thought you didn't-"

"Now I do. Not being able to sex someone I love is no reason not to sex at all."

"Sure, that makes sense."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, you just seem different."

This seemed to interest him. "Different how?"

"You seem…" She considered the change in his demeanor. "Less…"

"Just say the first thing that comes to mind."

"Inhibited, you seem less inhibited."

"Like I've been set free?"

Gwen took a second. Her analytical mind put the last piece in place. "Excuse me,"

"Where are you going?"

From his tone she knew he knew. The only way she was going to survive was if she made it to the door before him. She ran. He caught her just as she slammed the door shut. He grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the door. When he touched her electricity flowed through him, a delightful sensation. Angelus laughed. He felt giddy. "What was the point of that?"

"The only way to open that door is with my power. If you kill me you'll be stuck here forever, or at least a good long while. I doubt you want that." He let go of her.

He looked at the door. "You clever minx."

Gwen smiled at him despite her terror. She loved to be reminded she was smart. "So,"

"What? Do you think I'll just let you go? Not a chance."

"And there's not a chance of me opening that door either."

"I think if I torture you for long enough you'll open it."

"We'll see."

Angelus laughed again. "I really like you. I wonder what would happen if I turned you."

Gwen swallowed. She tried to hide her fear. "Besides both of us being stuck here for the foreseeable future? Dead bodies can't produce electricity even if dead me wanted to help you."

"Yeah, besides that." Angelus said "I bet you'd be fun."

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind. One of Angel's enemies cast a spell."

"It wasn't because of Ms. Messy break up? Or was she fictional?"

"She was real, but Angel didn't love her. He liked her though, hence the mess."

"And whatever you did to her you were going to do to me." Gwen said

"I will do to you." Angelus corrected

"I'm a pretty good fighter in case you forgot." Gwen said

"I didn't forget. I'm looking forward to destroying you. Fred and Nina were too easy."

"Isn't Fred that girl you worked with?"

"Yep,"

"Did you kill her?" The idea that someone she knew, if only vaguely, might have been killed by the person in front of her was disconcerting. The fact that the person was Angel only added more confusion to the situation. He had told her about the risk, but this was reality.

"Not yet, I'm waiting for her to ripen."

"Oh,"

"There is nothing better than a piece of fruit picked at its zenith."

"Oh,"

"Is something wrong Gwen?"

"Besides the evil vampire in my front hall?" Gwen asked

"Yeah, besides that."

"Nope, that about covers it really."

…

Lorne entered the hospital room with Evi. The way Fred's face lit up upon seeing her daughter was a huge relief to both Lorne and Wesley. "There's my girl." Fred said

Lorne handed her the baby. "She wants her mommy." The crazy electrical storm going on in Fred's aura was frightening Lorne. He saw Angelus's carefully planted seeds of insanity hunkering down and waiting to be watered. Lorne couldn't let them flourish into a deadly tree.

Fred held Evi close to her. "Mommy didn't want to go away, but she's back now."

Evi seemed content to be in her mother's arms. The infant recognized the feel of her mother's touch, the scent of her skin, and the unique warmth she projected. Wesley watched his daughter snuggle against her mother. She was so innocent, she had no idea what kind of horrible things could happen to a person. Wesley and Fred looked up at each other. As their eyes locked they both knew the same horrible idea was occupying their heads. Fred started shaking and Wesley reached out to steady her. "It's okay, we're going to be okay, all of us."

Fred shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to take it, I couldn't handle it."

Wesley wrapped his arms around his family. "That'll never happen."

"It happened to me. It could happen to her."

"It won't. I promise."

"You can't promise me that." The infant picked up on the anxiety and began to cry.

Wesley let go of Fred. "Let me hold her for a second."

Fred reluctantly handed over her daughter. "You can't make that promise."

Wesley rocked the baby, trying to soothe her. "I know." He whispered

Lorne felt very much like an intruder. He stood still, watching the family. At the end of the day Fred was right. Wes couldn't promise her their daughter would be safe from the horrors her mother had experienced. There could be no guarantees, and that was where they all stood.

…

Harmony entered the conference room Lilah was working in. Lilah was handling numerous telephone conversations, coordinating with the police. Lilah sorted through the information and decided what got passed on to Faith. So far nothing had led them to where Angelus might be. Harmony approached the woman as she hung up with a Sargent. "Lilah,"

"What is it Harmony? I'm busy."

"I just need to ask you something."

"Hurry up,"

Harmony ignored Lilah's brusque demeanor. "Is Fred going to be okay?"

"How the hell would I know that?" Lilah demanded

"I don't know."

"Well bye," Lilah starting reading some police files on her laptop.

"She's alive, so that means she's going to be okay right?"

Lilah sighed in frustration. "Why do you care?"

"I don't want to let Cordelia down."

"Seems to me like you already did."

Lilah was unprepared for the heavy wallop that made contact with her jaw. Lilah was thrown from her chair and landed in a heap on the floor. She scrambled to her feet and faced Harmony with a large read handprint staining her face. Harmony was shaking with rage, pain, and frustration. "You keep forgetting that you're a breakable human and I'm a vampire."

"You seem to forget that we have a demon on human violence policy here."

"Yeah, if I disobey it Angel will stake me, except Angel is gone."

Lilah stared at Harmony. She had never seen this side of the woman before. One minute she was pleading for assurance that she hadn't let her old high school friend down, and now she was threatening Lilah. Lilah liked this new part of Harmony. "What about the slayer?"

"All Faith cares about is finding Angelus."

"She needs me to find him."

"But if you're already dead how is looking for your killer going to help anything."

Lilah grinned. "So then we have an understanding."

Now Harmony was confused. "We do?"

"I don't piss you off, and you don't kill me. Are you going to help me go through these files or what?" Lailah turned her back on Harmony as she sat back down and returned to work.

"You want my help?"

"I could use a vampire's point of view." They got to work.

…

Angelus walked away from Gwen. Gwen stood uncertain as he headed deeper into her home, her eyes flitting between him and the door. "Open it I'll have no reason not to kill you."

She followed him. He went into her study. It was the same one that held the panic room they had kept Manny in. It was the same one they has slept together in. "Memories," She said

"Your first time." He said "A special occasion."

"My only time,"

"And you liked it?"

"That's not really any of your business. You're not Angel."

"I have all of his memories. I remember what you feel like inside."

She shivered. The idea that this monster remembered what she had done with Angel made her feel dirty. But it was the same body after all. Despite the consciousness that inhabited it, the physical presence was the same. "But you didn't feel it yourself. We could you know."

He stared at her. He had not expected that. "You want to have sex with me?"

"Better than standing around wondering what's going to happen next."

"You just want to distract me while you think of a plan."

"Whatever,"

"You're kind of a whore aren't you?"

"Fuck you,"

"With pleasure lover,"

…

Dru sensed her coming, the slayer. She wondered whether to tell daddy. But he had said not to disturb him until he called for her. Besides, if she was coming that meant he would be glad to see her. So Dru found a good hiding place that the dark slayer wouldn't check before her confrontation with daddy. She was bringing her William. Dru smiled, she missed William.


	17. Underneath

Fred was under something heavy. It was viscous like syrup, corn syrup. She was under an ocean of syrup. She tried to claw her way out, but there was too much syrup. She struggled harder and harder against the pressure. She tried to breathe but it was impossible. She felt something cold all over her, inside of her. She thrashed and writhed. She wanted the cold syrup out of her. She wanted to be somewhere safe and warm. But she was so cold. She would just have to keep struggling. She opened her mouth to scream for help and the syrup slid into her throat, choking her. "Stop! Stop! Get off of me!" She felt warm hands on her shoulders.

"Fred it's me! Fred it's just a dream! Wake up!"

Fred opened her eyes. She was breathing heavily. She was breathing. "Wesley?"

He was gripping her shoulders, trying to stop her from hurting herself. "Yes, it's me."

"Oh," She looked around the dark infirmary room. "I was asleep." She realized

"Yes, it was just a dream."

"No," She shook her head. "It wasn't a dream."

"What do you mean?"

"It was cold. I was cold. Don't let me be cold Wesley."

He wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his warm chest. "It's over."

"Not until they catch him, it won't be over until then." Fred said

…

Gwen knew there was only one way out of the apartment. If she took that route Angelus would have no reason not to kill her. She could only leave if she knew she would have time to get to safety before Angelus caught up. The only way that would be a possibility was if she incapacitated him. She was distracted from her thoughts by a hard thrust. Gwen was learning that a person's consciousness had just as much to do with how they had sex as their physical presence because Angelus was nothing like Angel. Angel had been gentle and concerned. He had taken her inexperience into consideration and tried to make sure that she was influencing the direction their actions took. He had caressed her body like he was afraid he would damage it. Angelus had no problem with damaging her body, and he didn't much seem to care about what she wanted.

"Having fun?"

"No, but I'm learning."

Angelus seemed to find that funny.

…

Faith and Spike parked one of Angel's cars. They were using it so that it would be easier for them to maneuver in the day. Spike looked over at the slayer. "None of your ideas have panned out so far." Faith said "Every moment he is free is another advantage he has."

Spike did his best to keep a lid on his temper. "I don't see you coming up with an idea."

"I just did."

He rolled his eyes. "What's that then?"

"I figured that since you knew Angelus better than anyone you would know how to find him, but I didn't take into account that you were working on bad information." Faith said

"What are you talking about?"

"I made a promise to Angel, but it's time to loophole my way out of it."

…

Hamilton entered the conference room where Lilah was working. "There you are."

She jumped to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think we wouldn't find out about this?"

"What are you going to do then?" She didn't sound afraid, he admired that.

"First I'm going to kill you." Hamilton didn't notice the blond holding two cups of coffee sneaking up on him. "Then I'm going to kill the host. Then we'll fix this fiasco."

"You can't do that."

"Who's going to stop me? The ditzy bitch I'm two seconds away from staking?"

Harmony halted. She gave Lilah an apologetic look. "You signed a contract."

"With Angel, he's gone."

"His soul is still on this plane. He hasn't moved on, therefore he isn't dead. He is the captive of a wayward member of your organization. That means the senior partners are partially culpable for this mess. They have to use any and all recourses at their disposal to fix it. If you don't think I'm right there's a copy of the contract you signed on file that I can get for you to look over. Mr. Gunn was very thorough when he wrote it up. You have to help us stop Lindsey."

Hamilton's face split into a grin. "You walk a fine line."

"I always have."

"Fine, then we will work together to find Mr. McDonald."

"Harmony go tell Gunn about our guest." Lilah said

Harmony's eyes asked Lilah if she was sure. Lilah was. While the former and current liaison sat down to work Harmony ran off to find Gunn.

…

Gunn knocked on the door to Fred's room. He looked at the bouquet of sunflowers in his hand and all of a sudden felt really stupid. What were they supposed to accomplish? How did flowers make up for being physically and mentally tortured by a sadistic vampire who looked like one of your close friends? Wesley opened the door. "Hey Wes," Gunn said

"Charles!" Fred waved at him. "How are you?"

"Hey," He didn't know what else to say. Wesley moved to let him in.

"Are those for me?"

"Yeah," He handed her the flowers.

"Thank you."

"How do you- I mean…" Gunn looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm okay." She whispered in a very not okay voice

"Is there anything I can do?" Gunn asked

"I just need time you know?"

"Sure. I can leave if-"

"No!" she cut him off. "I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you came to see me." She looked away at the blank wall. Gunn saw that her cheeks were red. "I'm glad we're still friends."

Gunn was utterly baffled by that. Wesley flinched. "What are you talking about?"

"Were you mad at me? When we broke up?" She absent-mindedly reached for the bandage over where Drusilla had bit her and started to scratch the surrounding skin.

"What?" Gunn looked at Wesley for some sort of explanation while the man gently took her hand to stop her from scratching. Fred looked at Wes and he shook his head.

"Fred," Wesley said "Is that another thing Angelus told you?"

She squirmed in her bed. "I know. I'm not supposed to think about it. But I just wanted to make sure that wasn't one of the true things. I want us all to be friends. I don't want to be alone."

"Fred I'll always be your friend. I never-"

Gunn was cut off by a doctor entering. "Ms. Burkle, it's time to change your bandages."

Fred blushed bright red. "I-I don't want to."

The doctor was sympathetic. "It has to be done and will only take a moment." She said

Fred tightened her hand around Wesley's. "I don't want them to touch me. Please,"

Wesley kissed her hand. "The doctor just wants to keep you healthy."

"Please don't let them Wesley. I promise I'll be good. I-"

"Fred," Wesley was clearly pained by her pleas. "You're not being punished."

"Then why won't the pain stop? Why can't I get away?"

Gunn gave the doctor a look and left the room. She followed him reluctantly. "Is it always like that?" Gunn asked "I know she's only been in recovery for less than a day, but she should have made some progress by now. Isn't there a psychiatrist or somebody who can-"

"Councilor, do you really think we haven't thought of that?"

Gunn shifted nervously. "She won't talk to anybody?"

"Just her boyfriend, and Lorne a little bit. But he's watching the kid. She's too unstable to care for her own child. Mr. Wyndam-Pryce won't leave her side. I think he's the only think keeping her sane, or less insane than she might be I should say. She's pretty shook up."

"She won't let anybody touch her?"

"We had to wait until she was asleep and drug her to give her initial trauma care."

Gunn shivered. Something about that seemed wrong. "Has Lorne read her?"

"You'll have to ask him that. I need to go back in there. She needs more care."

"Good luck," Gunn said

"There isn't a whole lot of that going around. I don't pretend to understand what it is you people are doing here, but that's a nice woman and a good mother in there. Think about that."

He waited until she was back in the room. "Every second."

…

Faith and Harmony ambushed Gunn at the same time. Spike hung back, wondering what was going on. "Lilah needs to see you." Harmony spoke at the same time that Faith asked where Lilah was. Upon hearing each other both Faith and Harmony turned from Gunn to each other.

"What's going on?" Faith asked

"Hamilton is here."

"Liaison guy?" Faith asked

"Yep," Harmony confirmed

"What does he want?"

"Either to help us find Lindsey or to kill us all. I was sort of confused."

Spike chortled. "Very confused seems like."

"Gunn go deal with Hamilton. Take Harmony with you and send Lilah to my office with the memory files. She'll know what you're talking about. Hurry, we're on the clock people."

Gunn wanted to talk to Faith, but she was already gone, leading Spike away.

…

Lorne cradled the little baby in his arms. He held her bottle at the appropriate angle while she suckled the nipple. She was adorable, and smelt like Johnson & Johnson. Lorne loved all of humanity, but this tiny person was getting more than her fair share of that love. But Lorne felt a pang of guilt the closer he got to the baby. The only reason he was taking care of her was because her mother was sick and her father was taking care of her mother. Lorne knew this baby should be with her parents, but they were in trouble. Evangeline needed a safe environment without the stress of loud anxious voices and the disconcerting feelings of terror filling the room with an almost physical presence. Lorne was falling behind on his work caring for the child, but that was the farthest thing from his mind. Evangeline finished her bottle and then Lorne picked up Feigenbaum, an old stuffed rabbit Fred had brought with her all the way from Texas when she first moved to L.A. He shook the rabbit in front of the baby's eyes. "Hey Evi, you sure were hungry huh? What have you been up to? Sneaking into the farmer's carrot patch? Well don't go back without me. I want some yummy orange munchies." Lorne said in his rabbit voice

Evi made a gurgling sound and poked the rabbit with her tiny uncoordinated fist. "Do you like Feigenbaum?" Lorne asked "He likes you. He was your mommy's friend."

Evi didn't understand a word. She just knew she liked the warm comforting voice and the warm filling milk. She liked being held by Lorne. But she didn't know why her mommy and daddy were holding her less. She wished they would hold her again. But for now she liked being held by Lorne. He was safe and nice. He didn't let her stay sad or hungry for any length of time.

…

Faith was impressed by how little time it had taken for Spike to get on board with the memory alteration concept. Spike wasn't surprised by what Angel had done. Lilah explained everything and then laid out the files detailing the original version of events. "So we're going to comb through these looking for where Angelus went next?" Spike asked

"Yes," Faith said "The three of us should be able to figure it out."

"What if we can't?" Spike asked

"We will."

…

Fred's face was red from crying. She wanted to sleep, but she knew that reality would creep into her dreams and haunt her. She felt Wesley's hand over her own and though it afforded her small comfort it wasn't enough to ease her pain and terror. "Is there a way to not dream?"

Wesley squeezed her hand. "I'll talk to the doctors. Maybe they can give you something."

"I don't like the doctors. I wish they would stop coming in here."

"I know." She looked at his sad face. "But when you're a little further along in your recovery they won't have to come in here as often. So just focus on getting better."

"What if I never get better?"

Wesley reached out and brushed her hair out of her face. "You will."

"And you're not going to leave me?"

"Never,"

"Because if you are it would be better if you did now. It'd hurt less."

Fred didn't realize how painful that was for him to hear. "I'm staying here."

"Will you hold me?" She asked "I think that'd make me feel better."

"Yes," He got into the bed with her and with the utmost care he wrapped his arms around her tender bruised flash. She felt the warmth that radiated from him and hoped that this time when she fell asleep she wouldn't dream of a cold body pressing down on her.

"Thanks Wesley," Her frail scared voice broke his heart.

…

Gwen examined her bruised arms. "Learning again?" Angelus asked

"Yes, collecting data."

"What all have you learned so far?"

She examined his face. He really was curious. That was when her plan formed. "Pain can be good. Hurting… when it's done right it can become something else, something interesting."

"Do you want me to hurt you again?"

She had to be careful. She shrugged. "I don't know. Why did you come after me?"

"More data?"

She nodded.

"I'm going to kill every girl soul-boy ever porked."

She wrinkled her nose at the crass term. "What's the point in that?"

"It would hurt him, if he could see. I don't intend to get trapped again, but if I do I want Angel to suffer upon coming back. I want him to know that he's responsible for what I did."

"So you want him to know your victims would still be alive if he hadn't known them?"

Angelus nodded. "That's right."

"There are worse things than death, for him anyway."

Angelus raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"He would feel guilty about my death, but if I were… corrupted, that would be worse."

"Corrupted?"

"If I helped you, if you fashioned me into something dark like you."

"That would really hurt." Angelus mused

Gwen shrugged. "But maybe you don't think you can do it."

He grinned. "Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?"

"No."

Angelus stood up and Gwen was barely able to get out of the way in time to avoid a heavy swift kick. She jumped to her feet and prepared to fight him. "You want to join me?"

"Why not? What else do I have going for me?"

"That's a good point."

"I can't connect to any living person, but you're not alive."

"I'm evil Gwen, do you want to be evil?"

"I've done a lot of bad things, maybe I was always destined to be evil."

Angelus chuckled. "All right Gwen, let's be buddies."

…

Faith and Spike had split up. There were two places they thought Angelus might have gone to. Spike was going to the homeless shelter where Anne worked. Faith was going to the lavish home of one Gwen Raider. Faith stopped outside the building and she knew. Her honed senses told her Angelus was here. She called Spike and told him to meet her. Maybe it was foolish to operate off of gut instinct, but she needed back-up if she was going to face Angelus and win. Faith had no intention of waiting for Spike. She ascended the staircase and stopped outside the wall where the file said the door was hidden. Faith knocked. She began examining the wall for seems, trying to find a way to break in. The door opened of its own accord and after a brief glimpse of a dark-haired woman Faith felt a surge of electricity flow through her body and she collapsed to the ground. Faith tried to orient herself, but the shock was too much and the world went dark. The sound of heavy footsteps was the last thing she heard.

…

When Angelus told her to open the door and electrocute the young woman Gwen recognized her chance. She used her power and followed his instructions. Gwen touched the woman for only a second and hoped she survived. But perhaps that was a cruel thing to wish upon her. Gwen was running from the moment the door opened. Angelus pursued her. Gwen's heart sank. She had hoped the young brunette would occupy his attention long enough for her to get away. Angelus grabbed her by the neck and pulled her backwards. Gwen electrocuted him and startled him just enough for her to shake off his grip. She kept running. She saw a car pulling up to the building and she ran for it. The car stopped. As she ran for a door it opened. "Are you Gwen Raider?" A blond man with an English accent asked as she got in

"Yes, there's a maniac-"

"Is Faith up there?"

"Is that the brunette?"

He handed her the keys. "Do you know where Wolfram & Hart is?"

"The law firm?"

"Take this car there, tell them what happened."

"Who-"

"Go!"

She put up no further argument.

…

Faith was roused from her sleep by the painful sensation of being dragged down the hall by her hair. Her eyes opened but her vision was fuzzy. The woman, the one with the electrical powers, had shocked her. Angelus had probably forced her, Faith didn't blame her. She felt her body being roughly pulled up. "I wanted us to play our game for a good while, but I have to take advantage of this opportunity. It is unlikely I'll have another like it again." She heard

She felt a painful stabbing sensation in her neck. Slayer instincts kicked in. Faith jabbed her elbow into her attacker's abdomen. She whirled around and grabbed Angelus's shoulders to toss him away. Faith swayed, still not entirely recovered. But when Angelus rushed her she evaded his attack. "We meet at last." Faith said "I didn't think we ever would."

He grinned. "It's a travesty what he did to you, how he broke you down and rebuilt you."

"Yeah, you'd rather me still be a suicidal maniac."

"I'd rather you be a homicidal maniac, but any kind of maniac is acceptable."

"I'll never be that person again, no matter what you do. I don't have a baby you can hold hostage or a well of insecurities you can draw from. I know who I am and what I've done, I've accepted it. You're not Angel, but you have something of his. You're going to give it back."

"I don't think so bitch."

Faith laughed. They stood facing one another, each waiting for a weakness. "That's the best you've got? Yeah, I'm a bitch. You have no idea how much of a bitch I really am."

"I can imagine. I bet you shrugged off the boy toy. I bet you've been nothing but cruel and wanting of any compassion since this happened. You only care about yourself Faith."

"That would hurt coming from someone who wasn't a soulless demon."

"It shouldn't hurt at all. You should be proud Faithy. You are a beautiful creature."

"I've been on the other end of this. The dark side, where everything is simple, fun, sexy."

"It was not the darkness that brought you down Faith, it was your unwillingness to give yourself over to it. The parts of you that wanted to be good, that's what hurt you."

Faith rolled her eyes. "What do you expect? For me to just bare my neck after that stirring speech and cry out: 'Take me now!' I don't think so honey."

"I don't need your permission to take you Faith, I didn't have Fred's. How is she?"

"Recovering,"

Angelus saw right through her. He leered. "In pieces isn't she?"

"She'll be fine."

"Sure, she's got the love of her life by her side. Except it's all fake. The only reason they're together is because of the spell. She doesn't really love him, she just thinks she does."

"Even if that were true I don't care. Stopping you is all that matters."

"But you won't Faithy. You won't kill me because I make you believe."

"I've got something far worse than death in store for you. I'm putting you back."

Angelus chuckled. "Then let's do this."

Faith waited until he was right on top of her and then she flipped him. He landed on his feet in time to block a kick from the slayer. Faith was still reeling from the electricity that had gone through her moments ago. Angelus was strong, full of fresh blood and lust. He wanted to take her right here and now. He wanted to drink her and make her his. She was strong not just in the physical way, but in every way. She was resolute and enduring. He didn't want to break her down as he had been fantasizing about before, he wanted to leave her intact but brand her with his own mark. Their fists and feet moved in a well-choreographed dance. She knew she needed to sit down and rest, to recover from the electrical shock. But there was no time. She had to defeat her opponent in her current state. He was fierce, unyielding. Where was Spike?

…

"Hello my William."

Spike stopped in the doorway of the building Gwen had come from. He gazed at Drusilla leaning against a wall smiling at him. "Hey Drusilla." Spike said "Where have you been?"

"I was at the hotel, waiting for daddy. You tried to kill me William."

"You tried to kill my friend, and her baby."

"What does it look like? Is it small and fat like a piggy?"

Spike stared at her. "You hurt her Dru, you hurt her a lot you and Angelus did."

"Aren't you proud of me my William? Didn't I do well?"

"I don't want to kill you Dru. I don't want you to die." Spike was torn. A very real part of him still loved Drusilla. But after what she had done to Fred how could he let her go?

"He's going to replace you daddy is. Come back, be your own replacement."

"Dru… I can't let you go."

"You want to fight me William?" She sounded disappointed.

"I have to." He was far from eager.

She reached for him, putting her lips against his. She smelled the same. He remembered all of those years of slaughter. How they had loved one another. "I'm sorry Dru." He whispered

"Never be sorry my William."

…

Harmony entered the room where Lilah, Gunn, and Hamilton were working on locating Lindsey carrying a tray of coffees. "How goes it gang?" Harmony inquired cheerily

Hamilton scowled at her. "Do you always allow the help to speak?" He asked

"This would be a lot easier if Wes were here to cook us up some mojo." Gunn said

"Why don't you go get him then?" Lilah asked sarcastically

"I'm not an idiot." Gunn said "Besides Fred needs him."

"Poor Fred," Harmony said, actually sounding sympathetic

"Harm can you go get the list of our contacts in the wizarding world?" Gunn asked

"I'm on it."

When Harmony was out of earshot Lilah posited this question. "Have you ever seen anything like her before? A vampire, with no soul, who can feel compassion. Unprecedented,"

Gunn looked back at the empty hall. "It is a little weird."

"It's sickening is what it is." Hamilton said

Gunn rolled his eyes. "It's not as though Harmony was ever going to be a great force for evil in the world. It's Harmony, she doesn't have it in her to be bad."

"That's not Harmony, that's a demon with her memories." Lilah said "You've only ever known the demonic version, but they are not the same. She's an anomaly, a fluke."

"What are you getting at?" Gunn asked

"Maybe she's a sign of things to come. Maybe she's the first of many."

"Vampires who aren't evil?" Gunn asked

"It's a novel concept I know." Lilah said "A change in the natural order of things."

"What's it mean?" Gunn asked, disturbed by the possible further muddling of his understanding of the world

"It means the end is near." Hamilton said "The end of what is the only questions that remains to be answered. For the end itself is an inevitability." He grinned at them

…

Faith was wearing down and she knew it. Angelus was patient and when the moment presented itself he grabbed her arm and twisted. Faith felt the bone crack and break. She stifled a scream and fell to her knees. Angel put his foot on her back and pressed. She was pinned to the floor by his weight. He grabbed her other arm and prepared to break that one as well. She lifted her leg and kicked him between his own legs. Angelus stepped back, temporarily releasing her from his weight and his grip. She struggled to her feet with her broken arm and employed a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He staggered back, but Faith needed a moment to regain her balance as well because her shattered arm was messing up her equilibrium. He punched her in the face and she reeled back. Before she could respond he punched her in the gut and then grabbed her broken arm. She hissed in pain. "Defiant to the end my love, I wouldn't want you any other way. But it's over. Just let go Faithy." He squeezed her arm harder. "Let go."

"Go back to hell." She said

He dodged a jab to the ribs. He tossed her into the wall. Faith's arm was taking some serious abuse. "I'm taking you with me, no matter what you want." She struggled to her feet and was hit in the head hard enough to knock her back down. She tried to get up and another blow sent her to the floor. "Face it, you can't beat me. You'll never be as good as Buffy. You'll never earn the kind of love or acceptance she is entitled to. You'll never be good enough. But you can be bad enough. You may not understand now, but I'm just doing what's best for you like a good father should Faithy. Don't you miss having a daddy? Don't you miss the mayor?"

Faith struggled to her feet one more time and a heavy fist landed on her face. She was thrown into the wall, her head hitting it with a loud crack. She started to slide to the ground but Angelus grabbed her by her hair again and held her up. He gripped her shoulder and wrenched her head to the side for the best possible biting angle. Faith felt herself be released and fall to the ground as the force holding her up disappeared. She watched Spike and Angelus go at it while her whole body throbbed. Spike had the advantage of not having just fought a slayer, and he was clearly doing far better. Angelus knew he was going to lose. So he ran. Faith was tempted to make some jeer about cowardice, but her mind was fogged by pain. She tried to get to her feet and then Spike offered her a hand. She used her unbroken arm to accept his grip. "You okay?"

She nodded. "We need to go after him."

"You need to get to the infirm-"

"I'm in charge and I say we go after him!"

"Fine," Spike let go of her and she stumbled before regaining her balance.

"Fuck you," She said "You don't think I can handle this?"

"I know you can." He said "But you aren't at top strength."

"He'll kill another innocent person if we let him."

"We may not have won this day, but neither did he. We hurt him."

"How?"

"We saved Gwen, and we got Dru."

This surprised Faith. "You staked her?"

"No, I tied her up and hid her in the dumpster."

Faith gave him an incredulous look.

"What?"

…

Harmony knocked on Lorne's office door and was bid to enter. "I got the baby stuff you asked for." Harmony told the demon holding the baby "Is this the right kind of formula?"

Lorne watched Harmony pull a box out of her bag. "Yes, good job Harmony."

"Can I hold the baby?"

Lorne stood up and carefully traded the baby for the bag of supplies. Evi recognized the feel of this woman and immediately grabbed her hair. Today it tasted like watermelon. Evi was not aware that Harmony's low body temperature and lack of heartbeat was abnormal. She wasn't afraid of the dangerous woman who was higher than her on the food chain. Evi just liked the taste of her hair and the feel of her soft skin. Meanwhile Harmony liked the warmth of the baby and the sound of blood flow. "You're a natural." Lorne said "She's taking to you like a duck does to water." Harmony beamed. Lorne watched the baby contentedly suck Harmony's fruity flavored hair. "She really does like you." Lorne seemed to just now understand the implication of what he was saying. The infant was not afraid of the vampire in the slightest. Was that bad?

"Hello little duckling, quack, quack." Lorne decided it wasn't.

"You can feed her if you want."

"I can!" Harmony was ecstatic.

"You have to do it a particular way though, let me show you." He started to make a bottle and then he taught Harmony how to hold the baby and the bottle while Evangeline fed.

…

Angelus was furious. Not only had he not killed Gwen or turned Faith, he had lost Drusilla to Angel's group. In all likelihood his greatest creation was dead right now. He kicked a glass bottle someone had dropped on the ground. This wouldn't stand. He wouldn't allow himself to be made into the punch line of a joke. They had to pay. He stood for a moment and tried to think of a decisive strike that would shake them to their core. Fred had been a great starting dish. She was so innocent and beloved. He needed another one of her. His face broke out into a horrifying grin. An old friend of Gunn's, a kind-hearted humanitarian, a woman who Angel owed a great debt. He would do as many horrible things to her as possible, and the possibilities were endless. As he headed for the shelter he whistled a merry tune.

…

Faith was furious. The whole time they had been waiting for the Wolfram & Hart car to come pick them up she had been stewing. When the car arrived and Spike loaded his crazy ex-girlfriend into the trunk she got in the passenger seat without speaking. Now they were back at Wolfram & Hart and Faith had no interest in helping Spike get Dru to the catacombs. She might not be able to go out into the field, but she could run this case from where she was. She was on her cell phone the whole time as she made her way to the infirmary to get her arm set.

…

Fred knew she was dreaming, but she couldn't force herself to wake up or to ignore the horrors this dream was inflicting upon her. She was being carried to the Bach'nal that she had almost been the main course for in Pylea. In the real version of events they had set her down and told Angel to cut her head off, but he had saved her instead. Now they set her down in front of him and his cruel smile let her know that this was not Angel. He held the crebbil in his hands and swung it toward her, just barely missing her. She screamed and scrambled back. "Hold still."

"Please Angel! Please don't!"

"I saved your life, so it belongs to me. I can do whatever I want to you."

"No, you're not him." Fred said "You're not Angel."

He grabbed her by her neck and pulled her up. "Do you think you're safe?"

"Please," She whimpered

"You'll never be safe."

"Let me go." She begged

"Never, I'll never let you go. You belong to me cow. I won you fair and square and when I want to hurt you I will. Did you think it was free? Did you think anything could ever be free?"

"No," She whimpered "Please stop."

He forced her head close to his and whispered in her ear some of the same words he had taunted her with at the Hyperion. "Let's go back to your cave like we did last time."

"No, that's my place. You can't go there."

He chuckled and then reached for her, his wrist brushing against her thigh. "I'll always be in here Fredikins. I'll be a part of you forever. You're mine cow, and always will be."

She whimpered with pain, shame, and fear. "Please let me go."

"Never ever,"

She awoke with a start. Someone was shaking her shoulder. "Fred what's wrong?"

She turned over and looked at Wesley's face. "I had another nightmare."

He gently smoothed her hair. "If you want to talk about-"

"I don't." She said quickly "I just want to forget."

"Okay," He took her hand and they intertwined fingers.

"Have they caught him yet?"

Wesley shook his head. "I'm sorry."

She sighed. "Am I being punished?"

"For what?" He asked in an incredulous tone

"So many things," She said "I was happy here, in this evil place. I was loose in my sexual decision making. I took my freedom from Pylea for granted. Maybe I deserved this." She sighed.

"Fred please don't talk like that. No one deserves this, least of all you."

"I know what it is." She said "I've read about this. It's a coping mechanism. I have to believe I did something wrong so I can believe there's a way to stop it from happening again."

"But you're innocent Fred."

She sat up in bed. "There's a formula."

"What are you talking about?"

She started to get out of bed. "There's a way, I know there's away. Vampires need an invitation and if they don't have one they can't get in. So there must be a way to keep him out."

"Fred," Wesley was alarmed. "I think you should lie back down." He walked over to her side of the bed and stood in front of her. He gently rested his hands on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off. "I can find it. I know I can." She walked over to a supply cabinet and began to rummage through it. "There has to be an answer, or a formula. There has to be."

He followed her. "You shouldn't overexcite yourself."

She procured a black sharpie. "I know there is an answer." She turned around and began to scribble some formulas on the wall. Wesley didn't have to be a shrink to know this was bad.

…

Angelus entered the homeless shelter. There she was. She looked a little bit like Buffy now that Angelus thought about it. She was petite and blond. He loved a blond. He imagined gripping her and sinking his teeth into her smooth fair skin. He imagined the look on Gunn's face when he found out that after beating his girlfriend Angelus had sought out his old friend and murdered her in a horrific manner. And then Conner- Angelus frowned. Conner would have no idea what had happened. He didn't remember that his father was a vampire. Angelus had kept insisting that Faith was the best thing Angel ever did, but Angel took far more pride in his son than in his dark slayer. Even Darla had said the boy was the only good thing they ever did in their long afterlives. That meant a lot to Angel. This woman had meant a lot to Conner and what would be the point in killing her if Conner would not suffer because of it? This was all about making the people who mattered to Angel suffer, but they still weren't suffering as much as they had been before that spell. Angelus grinned. He left right before Anne turned and looked at the spot where he had been. She thought she had seen someone familiar, but she must have been mistaken because there was no one there. Angelus made his way through L.A. thinking about how to get rid of the spell. He would need help, and he knew just who to go to.

…

Wesley's text had sounded urgent so Lorne was glad Harmony was already in his office and he could tell her to watch the baby until he got back. He rushed to the infirmary and was met by a disheartening sight. The walls of Fred's room were covered with symbols and numbers that Lorne couldn't make out. His eyes widened. Wesley stood in the middle of the room looking desolate while Fred ran from wall to wall making adjustments. "If I can just set the formula for defining mystical boundaries equal to the formula for-for- there are so many formulas."

She was panicking. "Fred Lorne is here." Wesley said "Why don't you say hi?"

Fred gave Lorne a brief glance. "I was in a cave. That was my cave, no one knew."

Lorne flinched. "I'm sorry Fr-"

"I let him in. I invited him. My fault, shouldn't have done that."

Wesley reached for her. "Fred-"

She jumped away from him. "I have to figure it out, I have to work the problem."

"Baby please-"

"Baby! Where's the baby?!"

"She's okay." Lorne said "She's with Harmony."

Fred shook her head. "There's no harmony, no synchronicity."

"Fred do you maybe want to sing a song?" Lorne asked

"No singing, no looking. You want to peek in my head, but it's mine."

"Fred I just want to-"

"No! No looking in my head! It's mine! It's my last place!"

Wesley reached for her again and when she tried to back away he gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Please let us help you. We love you Fred and we just want to help."

She shivered. "No more," She said "Under the handsome man is the monster."


	18. Origin

Conner tossed a softball at his little sister. "I'm just saying that this Jimmy sounds like a huge jerk." Conner said as they played on their beautiful green lawn "He pulled your braids?"

"Because Sammy dared him to." Conner's sister explained patiently "Doesn't count,"

"Maybe he just pinned it on Sammy so you wouldn't get mad at him."

"You assume the worst of everybody." Conner's sister complained

"No I don't."

"Do too,"

"Do not,"

"Do too,"

"Okay you know what?" Conner said "I'm going to be the bigger person about this."

Conner's sister tossed the softball into the bushes. "Oops, guess you have to go get that mister bigger person. I'm going to go call Jimmy back." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I didn't have a cell phone when I was eleven." Conner grumbled as he went to fetch the ball from the bushes "And I wasn't pulling anyone's braids either. Kids," He rolled his eyes.

…

Faith clenched and unclenched her fist as she flipped through the file Lilah had handed her containing coroner's reports. "Twelve people in three days isn't normal for a vampire."

"He's making up for lost time." Spike said

Lilah, Spike, and Gunn were in the conference room listening to her while Harmony kept Hamilton busy. "You're not realizing how serious this is. The next old one is due to return to the earth in two weeks. Meanwhile our champion has killed twelve people and tortured our head scientist to insanity. How the hell are we supposed to face what's coming with no Angel?"

"You don't think I realize how serious this is?" Spike asked "I do."

"Faith we've looked everywhere for Angelus. He's gone and Spike's interviews with Drusilla haven't yielded any information on where he might be." Gunn said "Our psychics and mystics haven't come up with anything and the cops are at a dead end, not that that's surprising."

"Angelus must be getting help from someone." Lilah said

"Angelus isn't big on teamwork." Spike said "Discounting his pets,"

"No but he is big on using people." Lilah said "Correct?"

Spike grunted an affirmation.

"Who does Angelus know is on his side? The person who let him out," Lilah said

"We've looked everywhere for Lindsey." Gunn said "Me, you, Hamilton, none of us have been able to find him. None of us have even been able to get a lead. He's gone."

"We need magic." Lilah said "Good magic,"

"Our best magic-user is a little indisposed." Spike pointed out

"Well then let's undispose him, or dispose him, whatever it would be called." Faith left the room and headed toward the infirmary. She needed everyone on this case.

"Faith wait," Gunn protested "He's the only one that can get through to Fred. Everyone else just terrifies her. She needs him. Why don't we just get someone else to work a spell?"

Faith didn't even pause. Gunn, Lilah, and Spike followed her. "This takes precedence."

"Come on slayer," Spike said "Leave the poor couple alone. They deserve a little slack."

Faith ignored the vampire.

…

Gwen swallowed the pills dry, uninterested in easing their passage to her gullet with water or in staying in the infirmary a moment longer. As soon as the nurse said she could go Gwen left the room she was in to go find whoever was in charge. She passed by a room and heard people talking inside. "Please Fred," A man whispered "You have to eat something."

"No," A frantic female voice responded "Can't make me. I won't."

Gwen stayed outside the door, eavesdropping. "Honey if you don't eat you won't-"

"It's poison! They're trying to poison us!" Gwen wondered what was going on here.

"It's not, I swear to you. I wouldn't let… Fred please eat something. I'll get you anything you want, just tell me what you'll eat. If you don't eat you'll only get worse and the doctors-"

"No! I don't want any more doctors!" Gwen heard a loud crash and then hysterical sobbing from inside the room. She heard the man soothing the terrified woman.

"What are you doing?"

Gwen turned around and saw the woman she had electrocuted. "You're okay."

"Disappointed?" Faith asked

"Relieved," Gwen said "I don't like hurting people. I apologize."

"I forgive you. Did medical clear you?" Faith seemed impatient.

Gwen nodded.

"Good, then all we need is for you to sign a nondisclosure agreement and you can go."

"I want to help you stop him." Gwen was surprised by what she had said. She certainly hadn't planned to offer her assistance, but now that she had there was nothing she wanted to do more than help these people get Angelus off the streets. "I can be useful. I have abilities."

"I'm aware." Faith said dryly

"I said I'm-"

"And I said I forgive you. I'm many things, but not a hypocrite."

"What do you mean?"

"Doesn't matter, I've wasted enough time already. In the time it took for us to have this conversation Angelus has probably killed another person. Go find Charles Gunn, he's the black guy in the suit out in the hall. Tell him I cleared you and he'll find a way for you to help."

"Thanks,"

Faith made a noncommittal sound and then knocked on the door leading to the room with the soothing man and the crazy girl. Gwen left quickly. She didn't want to see what came next.

…

Lindsey was pouring himself a drink when he sensed the vampire's entrance. He smiled to himself. "Do you want one? I know you can hardly be thirsty, but this is a special occasion."

Lindsey turned around with two full glasses. Angelus grinned. "Keeping up on me?"

"I have a lot invested in you."

"What exactly are you looking for in terms of payoff?" Angelus asked

"Pain, suffering, you're doing great so far."

"Small potatoes," Angelus waved his hand dismissively. "I have something much bigger in store for the goody goods. That's what I need you for Lindsey. You're the key."

"I'm flattered."

"If you come through on this I won't eat you."

"And appreciative,"

…

Wesley heard the knock and got up to answer the door. Faith stood there. "Yes?"

"We need you to do a spell."

"Perhaps someone on my staff can-"

"We tried that. We need you."

"I'm a little busy."

"I called Lorne." Faith said "He'll watch her."

"She's-"

"Wesley," Faith's voice was cold and firm. "This isn't a request. You work here, you have a job to do. I understand that you're upset about your girlfriend, but we all have to do our part to bring Angelus in. You can't just sit around moping and enabling her hysterics."

Wesley's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

Faith felt a boiling rage. She wasn't sure if it was because she was still in pain from her fight with Angelus or if the emotional strain of losing the most important person in the world to her and having him replaced by a monster had finally caught up with her. "The world doesn't revolve around you Wesley! You're not the hero of this story. So why don't you do what you're told for once? Get off your ass and do your damn job!" Fred whimpered and pressed herself against her bed, staring in terror at Faith. Wesley just gaped at the slayer. "That was an order."

"Fine," Wesley whispered

Faith turned around and then left without another word. She knew she wouldn't have to repeat herself. She could hear Fred crying, but she ignored the sound. She had things to do.

…

Spike and Lilah shared a look as they watched Faith leave the infirmary. Gwen and Gunn's conversation had been interrupted by the shouting and they too watched the slayer stride down the hall. Gunn was the first to shake off his reverie. He ran after her. "Faith!"

"Not now," Faith said

Gunn grabbed her arm. "Yes now,"

She easily shook him off and laughed while she did so. "You think you can control me?"

"You've lost it. We all heard you tearing into Wesley."

"He needed to hear it. They both did. They need to snap out of whatever they're in."

"You were unnecessarily cruel."

"No," Faith said "I was cruel, but it was far from unnecessary."

"What happened to you?" Gunn asked

Faith clenched her fists and drew on the wealth of experience prison gave her in controlling her anger. In an icy voice she answered him. "Angelus has killed at the very least a dozen people. He savaged your friend. He will wreak untold havoc until we bring him in and restore Angel, which if we can't do the world is doomed. How is this not your top priority?"

"It is. That doesn't mean-"

"Whatever you were about to say is wrong." Faith said "It does mean."

"Wes and Fred-"

"Yes, Wesley and Fred got a bad hand! We all get bad hands sometimes! They knew what they were getting into when they signed on and they agreed to the risk. We all knew about the curse, it wasn't a secret. Are you telling me you never considered what might happen if Angelus got loose? I never took you for an idiot councilor." With that she left and he didn't follow her. He just stood there staring at the woman he had thought he loved as she left.

He walked back over to the other three. "So," Lilah said "What's the-"

"Shut up Lilah." Gunn said in his most listless voice

"I was just going to ask what our next move is."

Gunn sighed. As much as he hated to admit it to himself Faith was right about one thing, they had to catch Angelus no matter what. Just then Lorne entered the room. "Is it true?"

"What?" Gunn asked even though he knew

"Faith just went ape on Wesley for no good reason?"

"Is that already spreading through the whole office?" Gunn asked

Lorne nodded.

"Great," Gunn said

"I wouldn't say no good reason." Lilah said "We do pay them and they are-"

"You are going to want to be real careful about the next words out of your mouth."

Gunn's tone let them all know he was serious. "I should go in." Said Lorne nervously

"No," Gunn said "I'm going to go apologize. Lilah, you keep working with Hamilton to find Lindsey. Gwen if you still want to help you go with Spike to find Faith and get your orders for where to look for Angelus. Lorne wait here." Without another word he entered the infirmary.

In Fred's room Gunn was greeted by the sight of Wesley sitting at Fred's bedside whispering things to her Gunn couldn't hear. Her response he could make out just fine and it was heartbreaking to the highest degree. "Don't leave me." She begged "He'll come back."

"Fred I promise I'll be right back." He now spoke at a normal volume.

"Please stay with me. I'm so scared and it hurts so much."

Wesley brushed his fingers through her hair. "I know."

"Are you mad at me?"

Gunn wanted to flee the room. He felt like he was intruding. Wesley had tears running down his face and hardly seemed to be aware of them. The Englishman leaned forward and kissed Fred's forehead. "I just have to do a spell that will help us catch Angelus."

"Can't someone else do it?"

"They tried."

"I get so scared when I think you're not here."

Gunn cleared his throat, hating himself. Wesley turned around and scowled. "If Faith-"

"Faith didn't send me." Gunn promised "I actually came in here to apologize."

"That's not necessary, you didn't do anything." Wesley said

Gunn looked at Fred. "Can I talk to you?"

Fred looked at Wesley and then nodded. "Okay, you go catch him."

Wesley squeezed her hand and then got up to go. He shared a look with Gunn that needed no words to accentuate its meaning. Gunn understood. When Wesley was gone Gunn looked at Fred who had her arms wrapped around herself and looked frail and tiny. "Can I get you anything, a blanket or something to drink?" He stayed back, afraid to approach her.

She shook her head. "You think I'm pathetic."

Gunn was shocked. "No I don't."

"Weak little girl can't handle the real world. Just like when you brought me back from Pylea and I was so scared. I'm scared again. I thought I was better, but he showed me I was-"

Gunn walked over and knelt down by her bedside. She flinched but he ignored it. "Listen to me." He insisted "I wouldn't be able to handle what you went through. You are the strongest most courageous person I know and I don't doubt for a second that you will get through this."

"Look at me Gunn." She said "Look at what he made of me."

"I know it will take time, but you're stronger than him."

She shook her head. "I'm not."

"You have been through so much, more than anyone should ever have to-"

"I'm not a hero like you. I'm just some damsel in distress that-"

"What?" Gunn was incredulous. "How could you think that?"

"I walk with heroes, but I'm not one. Cordelia killed Illyria while I was cowering in the Hyperion and she gave her life to save the world. I'm not strong like you guys are. I'm weak."

"No you're not. You might not have the physical strength that Faith or Angel do, but neither does Wes and no one says he doesn't contribute. Your brilliance and your ability to come up with innovative solutions even under enormous pressure is amazing. The fact that you survived in hell for five years is amazing. The fact that you overcame the trauma and turned into an invaluable member of this team is amazing. Angelus is a master manipulator, but you're smart enough to see through his tricks. Now I need you to get out of bed and come with me."

The last part hadn't been planned, it had just slipped out. "What?"

"We're going to go see Evi."

Fred shook her head, terrified. "I'm no good to her."

"Fred you're her mother and you haven't seen her for two days."

"I can't."

"Fred you can."

She closed her eyes. She tried to push away all of the horrible things Angelus had done and said and as always she was unsuccessful. This time she tried something new. Poor sweet Wesley was afraid to push her. He wanted to make everything better and he couldn't so instead he gave into her every request. But maybe some of her requests were detrimental. Maybe she needed to be pushed. Maybe if she faced her fear- She shook her head. It was too much and the terror was choking her heart. "I can't breathe." If Wesley were here he would take her into his arms and soothe her until she felt better. Gunn didn't do that. She started hyperventilating.

He gently took her hand and whispered one line of encouragement. "Yes you can."

Miraculously, she could.

…

Angelus and Lindsey approached the old stone mansion. "How come I've never seen this place before?" Angelus asked as he appreciated the gothic architecture "Let me guess, magic?"

"Yep,"

"So the wizard who did the memory spell is in there?"

"Yep,"

Angelus cracked his knuckles. "Is he human?"

"No,"

"Oh well, I can still have fun. Nobody likes to be tortured. Well that's not true, but I think I can probably make the magic man squeal like a little pig before he agrees to lift the spell."

"And then what?" Lindsey asked

"Isn't that enough? Conner loses his happy idyllic life and when I do to Anne what I did to Fred he'll lose it. He'll come after me and I'll kill him, preferably in front of Faith to bring home what a failure she truly is. Wesley will be insane again because of what Illyria put in his head and that'll help Fred's recovery I'm sure. Who knows what the effect on Gunn and Lorne will be? I can't wait to find out. Aren't you excited?" Angelus looked rather giddy himself.

"Thrilled,"

…

Faith could recognize anyone she often interacted with by their footsteps and she was surprised by the ones she heard. They were not Gunn's come to tell her off nor were they Spike's come to ask her what the next move was. As she stood on the roof, overlooking the city and trying to decide what to do next, it was Lilah's steps that she heard. "What's new?" Faith asked

"Nothing,"

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm just doing my job."

Faith stepped closer to the edge. "What's that?"

"Keeping the big man happy. Angel owns my soul. If he is gone for real I have no idea what the senior partners can and will do to me. But I doubt pleasantness will be in my future unless you succeed. So I have to help you. You're going about this the wrong way."

"What's the right way?"

"Angelus wants you to suffer. I worked for years toward the same goal."

"And you learned a lot." Faith turned around.

"Yes," Lilah said

"What did you learn?"

"You're weak, all of you. You are contaminated by sentiment and morality. Your past weighs on you and keeps you drowning. The future pulls you in a million different directions, stretching your skin until it breaks and your blood taints the water. The present is composed of the people you love and they keep you weak. You will always be weak, but you are never weaker than when you are apart. For the love remains but the support is gone. Do you understand?"

Faith looked away. "Yes," She whispered in a hoarse voice

"You've been here before, on a ledge."

"She cut me." Faith's voice was almost too soft to hear. She touched her stomach.

"Are you going to let the one you love kill you again?"

"What?" There was no softness in her voice now, only terror.

"My job was to know everything about Angel. You mean a lot to him so I had to find out everything about you. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. But this time you're not the one infected with darkness. You decide what happens next. What do you want Faith, really?"

"I want to save him."

"Who?"

"Angel,"

"How?"

"First I have to get his soul back."

"And then," Lilah said as if this question were the most important in the world

"He needs his family."

"Angelus knows this."

"Conner," Faith started running.

…

Fred let Gunn and Lorne lead her to Lorne's office. She was nervous walking among all these people and she grabbed Lorne's arm, clinging to him like a buoy in a wild ocean that was thrashing her back and forth. He put his other hand on her arm, trying to be as comforting as possible and letting her make him her rock. They got to the door and she began to shake like a woman caught in a blizzard in her underwear. "It's ok Fred," Gunn promised "We're right here."

Lorne opened the door to reveal Harmony feeding Evi. "Hey Fred!" Harmony looked ecstatic to see Fred. "Lorne taught me how to give her a bottle! Am I doing okay?"

Fred stared at her baby. She thought about when she said goodbye. "Harmony…"

"Maybe we should let mom see her baby." Lorne suggested

Harmony handed the baby to Gunn and he brought her over to Fred. Fred slowly let go of Lorne and took her baby into her arms. "I missed you sweetie." She said "I've been away."

Fred sat down at the chair in front of Lorne's desk. She felt a million pieces clicking into place as they returned to where they belonged from where they'd been scattered. She recalled telling Angel that she was waiting for that sound when he'd seen the mess she'd made of the walls of her room. The nonsense she'd written was still under the paintjob they'd all participated in before her parents went back to Texas. Those same walls were the ones that she'd been trapped inside when Angelus had hurt her. She let everything bad go to that room and she locked it away. She held her baby close to her. She inhaled the scent of her child and didn't let anything from the room in. She felt her child wriggling in her grasp. Evi was happy to be in her mother's arms again. "She sure is happy to see you." Lorne spoke in the most ecstatic voice Fred had ever heard him use. She realized he must have been really worried. Fred locked eyes with him and smiled to try to tell him she would be okay. "We all are." Lorne said "We are all … very happy."

Fred's smile widened into a grin. She then turned to look at Gunn and soaked in his happy expression. Finally she looked at Harmony. "Thank you for looking after her."

"Anytime, I love Evi!"

Fred could still feel the pain of her many injuries, but she knew if she allowed them to unlock the door to where she had stored those awful memories the insanity would return and she would be separated from her daughter. She would be back to scribbling on walls while a vampire looked after her baby. And Wesley… poor Wesley would be stuck looking after her because he couldn't bring himself to push her, because he loved her so deeply. "Thank you," She whispered

…

Spike, Gunn, and Gwen had nothing to do but sit around and wait for Wesley to finish his spell so they would know where to look. Lilah approached the group. "Where were you?"

Lilah grinned at her boss. "I was talking to Faith."

"She chew you out too?" Spike asked

"No,"

"Where did she go?" Gwen asked

Lilah shrugged. "Who can figure the mind of a slayer?"

"Were she and Angel-"

Gunn cut Gwen off. "Faith and I are dating."

"Oh," She refrained from further comment.

Just then the door to Wesley's office opened and he approached the little cabal. "I found out where he is." Wesley handed Gunn a piece of paper. "A wizard's residence, we've worked with him before. He specializes in memory spells, I can't imagine why- Are you okay?"

Lilah had gone as white as a sheet. "I suggest you all hurry to this wizard's domicile."

Spike locked eyes with her and understood. "Let's go."

"I'm coming as-" Wesley began

"No!" Spike and Lilah said at the same time.

Gunn spoke before Wesley could begin a belligerent protest. "You need to go to Fred."

Wesley was clearly torn between going to the woman he loved and helping bring the man who had hurt her to justice. "Go mate," Spike said "We'll stop Angelus, Fred needs you."

Wesley nodded and left, leaving the four of them behind. Spike, Gunn, and Gwen began to gather weapons. "I'm not going either, obviously." Lilah said "But you need to go now."

Spike nodded and then led the other two away. Lilah thought about what would happen if Angelus managed to lift the spell. At the very least the ability for their team to work cooperatively would be compromised. How would they be able to stop Angelus if they couldn't even work together? That was probably his intent of course. "Brilliant bastard," She mumbled

…

Faith followed the boy. She didn't know when Angelus would show up, but she knew that he would. Angel's son, of course this was his next target. She stayed out of sight, but more out of habit than anything. Conner wouldn't remember her, so there was no real reason to stay out of sight. She shadowed the boy as he made his way throughout the day. She stalked him from home to school to downtown and then back to home again. When her phone rang and she saw Gunn's number she considered not answering. He probably just wanted to talk about what had happened earlier and she had work to do, but then she remembered what Lilah had said. "Yes,"

"We found Angelus."

"What?!" A few people turned to look at her.

"Where are you?"

"I'm following-" She closed her eyes and internally berated herself for her stupidity.

"I missed that last part, do you have a good signal?" Gunn asked

"I was following a lead that didn't pan out. Where is he?"

"He's going after some kind of memory wizard." Of course, Angelus would go after Conner when he really was Conner, not the construct Angel created. "We're on our way there."

"Text me the address, I'll meet you there."

…

Angelus walked behind Lindsey while the other man disabled the various security measures on their way to the center of the wizard's mansion. Angelus hated fighting magic, which was why he planned to kill the wizard fast, before he could summon much of a defense for himself. They arrived at the room Lindsey said the wizard was in and then Angelus threw the doors open. The wizard sat on a kind of throne holding a cube. "I've been waiting for you."

"That wasn't smart." Angelus said

The wizard held out the cube. "I don't want an enemy of you."

"The spell's in there." Lindsey said "If the cube breaks so does the spell."

"Thanks Lindsey, I think I picked up on that."

"Take it." The wizard said "And go, I have no quarrel with you."

Angelus leered at the demon. "You don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"Angel was a trusting guy, I'm not. Once the spell is broken the only way to make sure it isn't recast is to kill you. So that's what I'm going to do. But to thank you for your cooperation I'll forego the torture." Angelus rushed forward and before the wizard had time to react Angelus had snapped the unsuspecting fool's neck. The cube fell from his hand and hit the ground, cracking, but not breaking. Angelus picked it up. The glass cube shone with an inner light, filled with a reality Angel had tried to wipe away. "He just wanted them to be happy." Angelus said

"Didn't work out." Lindsey said

"Oh but it did, that's the best part. They got a glimpse, and now-"

…

Wesley made his way to Lorne's office. He expected traumatized Fred. He did not expect to see Fred holding their child and looking perfectly content. But there she was, and no one would ever guess what she had just been through. Lorne was at his desk and they were having a conversation about some inconsequential thing. Harmony was on the couch flipping through a fashion magazine and Wesley thought for sure he was in an alternate universe. "Fred?"

Fred stood up and looked at him. Her grin filled his soul with light. "Hey Wes,"

The baby in her arms shifted as if trying to get a look at her dad. "Are you-"

"I'm better." Fred said "I have to be, because you need me."

Wesley's face transformed into a sunny smile. "I do, we both do."

Fred walked up to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Evi was still in her mother's arms and enjoyed the warm embrace of both her parents. Wesley pulled back but continued to hold Fred as he gazed at her face. He looked into her eyes and saw the light that had gone out had been relit. "I love you." She said "So maybe you should kiss me." Harmony peeked over the edge of her journal at the couple. Wesley reached for Fred's face and felt the warmth of her skin.

He was unsure if he should, but he really wanted to and she had asked him. He leaned in and put his lips on hers. Lorne didn't even pretend to not stare at them. Wes wanted the kiss to go on forever, but when it was over he just wanted to keep staring at her. "I love you."

Fred rested her head on his chest. Then she straightened and handed him Evi. "You spent so much time looking after me, you must have missed her." Wesley cradled his daughter.

"I did miss you." Wes whispered to Evangeline, he then looked at Fred "Both of you."

She smiled, and then the smile slipped from her face. Lorne gasped. In a second it was all back where it belonged. Her memories snapped back into place. It wasn't like reliving everything, she just remembered. She could see herself beheading Illyria. Wesley dropped Evangeline and Fred deftly caught her. Wes fell to his knees. Fred turned to look at Lorne and saw that he was shaking. Harmony was confused. "What's going on? What happened?"

…

Spike was glad he was driving because he thought Gunn would have swerved off the road when his eyes widened and his pulse accelerated. Gwen gasped. Gunn turned around and locked eyes with her. Then they both looked at Spike. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel and continued to drive. The consequences of this would be awful and numerous, but right now he couldn't afford to think about it. "We have to stop Angelus, everything else can wait."

"I don't understand." Gwen said "What happened?"

"Illyria, Wes…" Gunn rubbed his head as Spike continued driving. "Cordy…"

"Get it together." Spike said through gritted teeth

"But…"

"Shut up." Gunn looked at the rearview mirror to see Gwen sitting up straight with all color drained from her skin. "Just shut up." She said "He's right, we have to focus."

Gunn shook his head. "Okay, getting Angelus is our number one priority."

…

Faith was almost out of view of Conner when she heard him drop a pile of books in his arms and stand shock still. She turned and with lighting quick movement he was in front of her while they stared at one another. She gazed into his eyes. "How?" He asked her "What was it?"

She needed to catch up with the rest of her team, but Conner's address of her let her know that it was already too late. She felt the memories, returned to the reality Angel had told her about. She shook her head. "Conner…" She looked over her shoulder at her car.

"Why did I forget? How do I remember?" He was calm.

"Your father… You need to get out of L.A."

Conner appraised her. "How do I convince my family?"

His cooperation shocked her. "I'll take care of it. I have to go."

She started to leave and he stayed behind, quiet. But there was one question he had to ask her, one she didn't want to answer. "Is he all right? Has something happened to him?"

"Yes Conner, but you have to go." They both left.

…

Angelus stared at the shards of glass. "Not very dramatic."

"What were you expecting?" Lindsey asked

Angelus picked up the demonic wizard's corpse and tossed it aside. The vampire sat down in the ornate chair. He relaxed. "They'll be here soon. Maybe you should go."

Lindsey nodded. "Do you need any help?"

"I can take them."

"I'm surprised."

"That I didn't kill you?" Angelus asked

Lindsey nodded.

Angelus chuckled. "They would have been glad you were dead, and that none of them have to carry the blame. I'm not going to do them any favors. Get out Lindsey."

"It was a pleasure doing business with you." Lindsey said

"Yep," Angelus listened to him leave. "Come on Faith, come on baby."

…

A million horrific things swirled in the hurricane that was ripping his brain apart, cutting him off from the real world. He couldn't feel the hands on his shoulders. He couldn't hear his lover's voice in his ear. All he could hear was the shrieking of the wild winds that were cutting him into a million pieces. They were in his head, these horrible things. He scratched and scratched, trying to pull them out. He didn't realize someone was holding his hands, stopping him from mutilating himself. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see, but the images were on the insides of his eyelids. Rivers of blood, corpses turned inside out and skin turned into costumes for the old ones to wear. A purple bird laughed at him while a red tiger danced around a tiny blue girl murdering her kingdom. Insanity was in the water itself and violence was the law of the land while old ones reveled in the muck. He whimpered. He couldn't see, but he had to.

…

Angelus was disappointed when Spike came in with Gunn and Gwen. "Where's the slayer?" He demanded "I went through all the trouble to set this up and she doesn't show?"

"We're going to make you into a present for her." Spike said

"How nice," Angelus got to his feet. "But you can't kill me."

"We've got something worse in mind." Spike said

Angelus smashed a wooden cabinet door and picked up a stake. "Dru would be pissed at me for killing you, but seeing as how you did away with her that's hardly a problem."

Spike eyed the wood. "You won't even get close."

"How's my other project?"

"Fred's fine." Gunn said "She's too strong for you."

"Of course she is, she killed a god. But you, you're weak. You sold your friend down the river for a mental upgrade. You don't belong here Charlie and you know it. Let's play."

Gwen rushed forward to attack Angelus, tired of conversation. He decked her, sending her flying into Spike. Gunn ran at the vampire with a cross and engaged him in hand to hand; his cross was sent flying in no time, but Gunn managed to hold his own until Spike untangled himself and entered the fray. Gwen kicked Angelus and the electricity went through him and into both of the other people he was fighting. Gunn screamed in pain and hit the ground. Gwen's eyes widened and she knelt by the electrocuted lawyer. "Oh shit! I'm sorry! I didn't think…"

…

Faith entered the room to see a scene that devastated her. Gunn was on the ground, she didn't know if he was dead or alive. Gwen was slumped against the wall with a large gash on her head bleeding profusely. Spike and Angelus were still going at it, but Angelus had the advantage of wanting to kill his enemy, while Spike just wanted to incapacitate him. Faith felt instinct start to take over and she let it. She had learned in prison to control her aggressive drive and how to direct her energies at a specific target in a specific manner. But she knew the only way to win this fight was to let out the slayer and lock away the woman. She rushed Angelus and soon they were locked in a brutal combat that Spike just had to step back and watch. He went to check on his fallen comrades. Spike felt for a pulse on Gunn, there was none. "Hey wake up Charlie."

Gwen moaned as she tried to get to her feet. Spike ran over to her. "You need to restart his heart." She didn't seem to understand. Spike shook Gwen, feeling the electricity. "Gwen,"

Her eyes wandered and then locked on him. "Help me over to him."

Spike helped Gwen over to Gunn and she put her hand on his chest. Spike felt for a pulse and there still was none. Spike began to do the compressions for CPR. "Try again."

Gwen put her hand on Gunn. The electricity jarred him, but didn't wake him. She shook her head. "It isn't working." She tried again. "Wake up." She begged "I'm so sorry, please."

Spike did more compressions while Faith continued to fight Angelus.

…

Lilah stood outside the infirmary. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall, thinking about the man inside. They were putting him in an artificial coma. Fred was by his bedside holding their daughter. Lorne had his arm over her shoulder, trying to support her while attempting to cope with his own revelations. But Fred didn't need support anymore. She knew the truth now. She knew what had happened and what she had done. She knew what needed to happen and she knew she had to stand tall and face this. Lilah sat down on the floor and scowled as she saw Harmony approach. "Any news?" Harmony asked nervously "Is he okay?"

"They'd hardly tell me." Lilah said "But I doubt it."

"What happened?"

"They remember." Lilah said "And now it's over."

"What's over?"

"The world, Angel was the only one who could save it. They'll never get him back now."

"I don't understand."

Lilah bit back a cruel mocking response. "There are things coming Harmony."

"Angel has to fight them?"

Lilah nodded.

"So why can't we get him back?"

"They were broken Harm, now they are again."

Harmony sat down next to Lilah. "Maybe they're stronger than you think."

…

Gunn squinted, trying to block out the bright light. He didn't understand what was happening, was he in the white room? A woman took his hand and as his eyes adjusted to the light he took in her face. "Alonna?" He reached out and touched her face, her skin, her smile.

"Hey big brother,"

"Oh my God. How?"

"Did you think you wouldn't be allowed in heaven?"

"Cordy told me you were waiting for me."

"We can walk through together, do you want to?"

"Oh God yes."

…

Fred was not unaware of the irony. She held her baby tight, afraid to loosen her grip, paranoid that her infant was next. Just a few hours ago it had been him at her bedside, now she was at his. With her memories returned she remembered that this had happened before. It was a horrific cycle. Lorne appeared to be in shock. Fred reached for his hand and then squeezed the green appendage. She wanted to give him words of comfort as he had for her. She could think not think of any. But then he spoke. "It was all fake. Everything was fake. Our lives were…"

She shook her head. She stared at her baby. "It wasn't fake."

"I don't understand." Lorne said "What happened?"

"I don't know." She said "But this isn't over. We still have a chance."


	19. Time Bomb

Faith had been through a lot in her life. Faith couldn't remember a time when she hadn't had to deal with the day to day reality that people were always going to try to hurt her and it had only been very recently that she's given up the certainty that no one was ever going to intercede on her behalf. Angel had changed everything. Angel had changed her. He had shown her what was at the end of the path she was taking and he had shown her an alternate one. The only thing that mattered was saving him. She claimed this was because he was the only one who could stop the old ones, but that was just an excuse. Angel had given her a chance to be redeemed when so many had decided she was past redemption. She had attacked his friends and tried to kill him, but he had kept fighting for her. To Angel no soul should be given up on. So she would be damned if she was going to give up on his. But right now, fighting Angelus, all of those noble thoughts were far away. This was about survival. Her old kill or be killed mentality was what she needed to survive. It was a line of thinking she had given up, but it was always there, waiting for her to need it. She had changed, that was undeniable, but she was still the woman who had killed innocent people. She was still the woman who had helped the mayor. She was still the woman who had tortured Wesley. Spike was still doing the compressions part of CPR on Gunn while Gwen looked on, guilt-ridden. This didn't faze Faith. Angelus threw a punch at her face and she was thrown back. Before she could regain her footing he had her neck in his hand and was squeezing. She gripped his arm and threw him off her. She stumbled and gasped for breath.

"Are you all right Faithy?" Angelus teased

She ran at him and he punched her in the face again. She fell. She couldn't get a hit in and the longer this went on the larger his advantage became. She tried to get to her feet but Angelus yanked her up by her hair. "Is that any way to treat a lady?" A teenager's voice said

"Conner," Faith gasped "Get out of here."

"Sorry, there's something I have to do for my dad." Conner walked past the blond vampire, dead man, and superpowered woman to approach the slayer and his father.

"The dad you hate?" Angelus asked

"No, the one who saved me. The one I love,"

"You've changed boy."

"For the better, he saw to that."

…

Gunn held tight to his sister's hand. "Come on." She said "Mom and Dad are waiting."

Tears flowed from his eyes. "Alonna I love you."

She wiped away his tears with her thumb. "No more tears brother."

"I'm so sorry I let them take you."

"Oh brother, that wasn't your fault. Anyway, I'm happy now."

"I'm glad." Gunn was trembling with emotion. Her smiling face filled him with a powerful joy the likes of which he hadn't known in a long time. He wanted to stare at that face for the rest of eternity. He wanted to follow her to the lovely place she promised him.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Gunn looked down at her familiar hand in his. "I think about you all the time."

"Brother it doesn't matter. None of that matters anymore."

"I can't go with you."

She shook her head. Now her eyes were flooding. "Don't say that."

"I love you so much, but they're my family too. They need me."

"You don't owe them anything." She insisted

"It's not about owing, it's about loving. I would do anything for you Alonna, but you don't need me anymore. They still do. There's a woman, I think she might be the one, but she's hurting so bad. I need to take her pain away. Even if we aren't meant to be, I love her dearly and I have to help her. She's fighting one of my dearest friends right now. I have to help him too."

She touched his face. "What about your hurt?"

"We make sacrifices for the ones we love."

"Stay with me. They'll be all right." She pleaded

"Maybe, maybe not."

"You've been fighting for so long. You have given so much of yourself. How much of yourself are you going to let them have before you find you've gone dry brother?"

"All of me if that's what it takes. I know there were bad times. We did awful things to each other. But we all have flaws, we all make mistakes, that doesn't mean we don't deserve to be loved or to have a purpose in life. I think I know my purpose now little sister."

"Your place is here, with me."

"One day, one great glorious day, but not today." He kissed her brow.

"They'll hurt you."

"I know."

"And you're okay with that?"

"I am."

She leaned her head against his chest. "You're a good man, you're a great man."

He kissed the top of her head. "I promise I'll be back."

…

Faith felt the bones of her fingers snap as Angelus blocked her blow, grabbed her hand, and then squeezed. He tried to force her to her knees, but Faith could handle pain. Conner swung at his father, or the demon who had stolen his body. Angelus let go of Faith to take care of the out of practice miracle child. Faith took the vampire by surprise with a one-two shot, smashing her crushed hand into his face. Angelus was stunned both by the blow and by Faith's willingness to do such severe damage to her own body. Conner slammed into the vampire and they both hit the ground, becoming tangled in one another. Angelus grabbed Conner by the neck and slammed his face into the ground. Conner's nose busted, blood flowed forth. "Conner!" Faith screamed

Conner tried to get away but the vampire kept his vice-like grip on Conner's neck and bared his fangs. Faith kicked Angelus in the face, allowing Conner time to scramble away while Angelus grabbed Faith's foot and yanked her to the ground. He encircled his hands around her throat and whispered in her ear. "You always wanted to be one of us. Deep down you knew the only way to deal with the darkness in you was to immerse yourself in it. I'll take away the guilt and I'll get rid of everything that isn't wrong. You and I will rule this world as the king and queen of darkness. Think of all that we can accomplish together my dear."

"You're insane." Faith choked out

"No, that's the scary part."

With a ferocious battle cry Conner attacked Angelus. At the same time Gunn gasped as his eyes opened and he sat up straight. "Are you good?" Spike asked

Gunn looked over at the battle. "Go," He panted

Spike needed no other encouragement. Faith got to her feet while Angelus punched his son in the gut. Spike attacked Angelus. Angelus knew when the tables had turned and he knew he had no chance against the slayer, Spike, and Conner. Angelus fled. Spike started to pursue but stopped when he realized such action was pointless. He couldn't take him on his own. He took in Faith's appearance. He then laid eyes for the first time on the miracle child. "Conner,"

"Who are you?" Conner asked

They were both distracted by Faith's shout. "Gunn!"

"I'm so sorry." Gwen said as Faith knelt by Gunn, ignoring her

"I'm okay." Gunn said

Faith put her hand against his burnt chest. "No you're not."

He took her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. "I am now."

Spike handed Conner a handkerchief. He wiped the blood from his face. "He's gone."

"Yes," Spike replied

"He did what he came here to do." Faith said in a low voice "He got one of us."

"I'm fine." Gunn said "Who did he get?"

…

Fred heard Lorne's phone ring and the demon excuse himself, but neither of these things really registered with her. Her fiancé looked so peaceful as he slept. She took his hand in hers and whispered a simple quiet assurance. "I'm going to save you. I promise." She squeezed his hand and then got up to go. There was nothing more she could do here. She couldn't stop the tears from coming as she left the hospital room. Her daughter began to fuss in her arms and Fred tried to soothe her, but Evi could detect the distress in her mother's voice and wasn't soothed.

Lorne was in the hall talking with Lilah and Harmony. "Fred," He said

She scowled at his concerned tone. "I'm all right, what's happening?"

"Maybe you should go take care of the kid." Lilah said

Fred ignored Lilah. "What did they say?"

"Faith convinced Conner to get out of town with his family. Apparently the memory spell that affected us made him believe he's a part of a normal middle-class family. Angel put the spell on all of us after the Illyria incident. I don't…" He shook his head. "Faith's on her way back with Gunn, Spike and Electro. Angelus got away. So did Lindsey." He sighed.

"Harmony can you watch Evi for a while?" Fred asked

"Sure," Harmony took the baby.

"You can hang out in my office." Lorne said "There's a bunch of baby stuff in there."

As Harmony left Fred spoke. "We know the last place where Lindsey was, can't we use security cameras from ATMs and businesses to track where he went?" She asked

Lilah shook her head. "He's been using a cloaking spell."

Fred thought for a moment. "Where's Hamilton?"

"Why?" Lilah asked

"I want to talk to him."

"No you don't." Lilah said

"No, I really do." Fred used a voice that made it clear she wasn't playing around.

"Fine,"

…

Spike entered the catacombs. Pavayne was down here with Sirk and Knox. Spike wasn't interested in any of them. He only cared for one thing. He pressed a few buttons and then opened the door to see Drusilla, bound in her cell. She smiled at him. "Why do you keep me in here my dear William? What have I done to deserve your ire? Aren't I a good girl?"

He smoothed her hair. "God I love you."

"Let me out William."

"I need you to do something for me darling."

"What do you want lover?"

"Tell me where he's going."

"Do something for me?"

"What?"

"I'm lonely William."

Spike cupped her face. "We can't let you out. I'm sorry."

"I want to talk to her." Drusilla said "Then I'll tell you where he is."

"Talk to who?" But of course Spike knew.

"Little sister,"

"I can't let that happen after what you did to her. I love you Dru, always will. But you're a monster and you always will be. The things we did back in the day… You're still doing them and you hurt someone I care about. I won't let you do any more damage than you already have."

"I won't tell you where daddy is, but I'll tell little sister."

"Dru please, for me? For old time's sake?"

"I'll tell her everything. I'll tell her who's next. If I don't they die."

"Dru-"

"No more my William." She couldn't move, but she explored his face with her eyes.

"I wish I could save you."

"You're a funny one William."

…

Fred stood in front of the liaison and betrayed no fear. "You're holding back."

"Am I?" Hamilton seemed uninterested in her.

"Lindsey worked for this company. He had a contract-"

"He got out of that contract."

"But there's more." Fred said "You wouldn't let him go just like that."

"You think I'm concealing something that would help us find Mr. McDonald? Why on earth would I do that you silly girl? The senior partners need Angel back just as much as you."

Fred smiled. "But not yet right? You wouldn't mind if he killed a few of us first."

Hamilton grinned. "Say that's true, what of it?"

"You're going to tell me how to find Lindsey."

"Why am I going to do that?"

"Because we're going to do horrible things to him."

As Lilah had quietly observed this confrontation she had become more and more impressed with Fred. Now she was downright stunned. Where was the trembling whimpering woman Angelus had left them? Who was this strong ferocious creature who stood in front of a man that had once threatened to choke the life out of her, and dared to order him around? Lilah watched Hamilton's inscrutable face. She thought she saw a flicker of a smile in his eyes but considered that she might be imagining it. He let his eyes roam over the young woman confronting him. She did not flinch. "Horrible things like what Angelus did to you?"

"You can't scare me." She said "Nothing can scare me anymore."

"Is that right?"

"I killed a thing that ruled this earth for longer than either of us can even comprehend with the kind of brutality your masters are experts in. Someone with the body of one of my best friends ripped me apart and if you think you're scary I promise you aren't. You're nothing."

"Nothing?" Hamilton sounded amused and slightly annoyed.

"You're an errand boy. You're like Lilah here."

"Excuse m-" Lilah started

"I'm talking Lilah." Fred said flippantly, not even looking at her "I don't know if you're a spirit on a reprieve from hell, or some kind of monster they created. But one thing I know you are not is a person. You're one of their possessions. You're a tool, like a shovel. You exist to serve others and for no purpose of your own. Now tell me where Lindsey is. Unlike you I have power of my own, not just what my boss lent me. Answer me, or I'll use it on you."

Hamilton's face broke into a grin. "All you had to do was ask."

…

Faith entered her office just as her phone made a noise signifying that someone had sent her a text. Faith sighed. She looked at her phone and then her eyes widened. This text was from Fred. "I don't believe it." She said to no one "Fred knows where Lindsey is." She rushed off to head to the location. She didn't care about her crushed hand or her other various injuries. She told no one where she was going. She just rushed off to inflict bloody vengeance on Lindsey.

…

Gunn reached for his phone. "Hold still." A nurse demanded "You did some serious damage to your organs. You might need surgery. This is no time to be texting."

"I need to stay up to date on the case."

"You need to hold still and let us do our jobs."

Gunn gave up and lay still on the hospital bed. He did feel pretty crappy.

…

Spike entered the lab feeling hollow. For a moment he wondered if he was a ghost again so he placed his hand against the wall to check. "Spike," He looked up and saw Fred. "You ok?"

"Fred," He sounded disconnected. "You're in the lab."

"Well I work here."

"What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to design a device that will detect human bodies with no heat signature, ones not in the ground anyway. Then we'll use process of elimination to find Angelus."

Spike nodded.

"What happened?" She asked "You look sick."

"Vampires don't get sick." He reminded her

"So what happened?"

"You look so much better." He approached her and reached out to touch her hair.

She stepped back, fear in her eyes. She wasn't completely recovered. "What's wrong?"

He saw her grip a cross in her pocket. "I'm sorry." He whispered "It's Dru."

Fred shivered. "What about her?"

"We caught her."

"You mean you killed her?"

Spike slowly shook his head.

Fred looked away, biting her lip. He couldn't tell which emotion was causing all color to drain from her face, but he guessed anger. "What did you do with her?"

"Stuck her in the catacombs,"

"I see."

"Fred-"

"Do you know what she did to me?"

"I can guess. We did some awful things together back in the day."

"Why didn't you kill her?" Her voice cracked and Spike saw a single tear escape her eye.

He hated himself. If someone had handed him a stake in that moment he might have used it on himself. He had hurt her. The last thing in the world she needed was more pain on top of the already unfair hand she was being forced to play. Yet here he was hurting her. "I was trying to get her to tell me where Angelus is. She knows, but she's keeping the information to herself."

"Maybe you could torture her." Fred's voice was venomous.

"Dru's sort of into that." Spike said sheepishly

Fred turned around and wrapped her arms around herself. "I know."

"Fred-"

"You love her. Even after everything you love her."

Spike stared at the ground. He wanted to lie. Oh God how he wanted to lie and tell her he never could love someone that would hurt her. But she deserved the truth. "I know it's wrong."

"You know so many things Spike, tell me what you know that will do us any good."

Spike was taken aback by her harshness. "She wouldn't tell me-"

"What did she tell you?"

Spike shifted from foot to foot. Fred turned back around and stared at him. He swallowed the nonexistent moisture in his mouth. "She told me she would tell you, but not me, where he is."

Fred stared at him. "And you waited this long to tell me that."

"I didn't want you…"

"What?" Her voice was still harsh.

"I didn't want you to be hurt."

"It's a little late for that." Fred started to walk by him.

"Fred," He pleaded "I'm so sorry."

"Everybody's so sorry." She stopped and turned to face him. "And so am I."

"What are you sorry for?" Spike didn't understand.

"We're all suffering. This must be hard for you as well."

"I don't have any right to complain."

"Maybe not," She mused "Maybe none of us do. Maybe we brought this on ourselves."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Spike protested

"How could you possibly know that?" Fred asked "I've done things, terrible things."

…

Lindsey was startled by the sound of the battered slayer bursting into the apartment he was hiding out in. "Faith," He hid his fear under condescension. "How nice to see you."

"Lindsey, how nice to kill you."

"You wouldn't. You're on the side of the angels now."

"But I have a demon in me. Every slayer does. We use their power to fight them."

"I'm not a demon." Lindsey scanned the room, looking for some escape.

"Close enough," As she closed in on him his heart accelerated.

"What would Angel think?" He asked

"Angel's not here."

…

"What are you doing in here?"

Lilah put on a suitable guilty expression as she turned around to face Lorne. The Pylean was holding a beautiful vase filled with colorful flowers. He set the vase on the table by his friend's hospital bed and glared at Lilah while the monitors produced regular beeps that signified Wesley was still alive, if his current condition could be called living. Lilah touched one of the lovely blossoms. "I could ask you the same question Pylean." She grinned at him.

"How do you figure?" He smacked her hand away from the flowers.

"You remember now. Why do you care for the traitor?" Lilah asked

"He was trying to do the right thing."

"I see, and knocking you out was just necessary."

"I thought you were done sowing seeds of discord."

Lilah shrugged. "Habits,"

"I don't get it." Lorne said

"Get what?"

"What did he see in you?"

Lilah chuckled and spread her arms, displaying her breasts. "Take a gander green genes."

Lorne rolled his eyes. "And what was in it for you?"

"I don't think I have to explain how boy parts and girl parts work to you."

Lorne sighed. "Do you think I'm dumb enough to buy that? Or are you so delusional that you've managed to convince yourself you don't care about him? You defied the senior partners-"

"To get on Angel's good side." She said quickly "Playing the best hand,"

"Really?"

"Sure,"

Lorne shrugged. "I have better things to worry about than you. Either way, I notified security that if you come in here again you are to be forcibly expelled. So get lost."

"Why?" Lilah asked "What's the big deal?"

Lorne gave her a look of such pure hate that it was almost frightening coming from the normally temperate and good-natured demon. "I seem to recall a certain incident at a party."

Lilah chuckled. "That was just a prank."

Lorne shook his head. "Sometimes I admire you. Sometimes I hate you. Mostly I just feel sorry for you. How did you ever function in human society with such warped values?"

Lilah shrugged and then looked down at Sleeping Beauty. "Morals are overrated."

"Get out Lilah."

She obeyed. She left Lorne alone with his thoughts and his sleeping friend. The new (old) memories were swirling around in his head, clashing with the fake ones. He thought about the time they had spent here. He thought about their friendships. Everything had been falling apart and Angel had given them a second chance. It had seemed like his deal was paying off in a big way until Lindsey had used that amulet. Lorne touched his friend's hand. He thought of all the things this body had been forced to endure. How could one human being take all that? Maybe Wes would have been better off dead. Then Lorne thought about how happy Wes had been with Fred and how happy she had been with him. Lorne thought about their beautiful baby. Lorne sat down by the bedside. "You're the smart one." Lorne said "Tell me what to do. Tell me what the answer is." Lorne sighed. "You don't deserve this. None of us deserved this." Lorne squeezed Wesley's hand. "We've still got a few champions hanging around though. They'll save us."

…

Fred entered the catacombs with a slow gait. Spike stayed right on her heels. She stopped in front of Drusilla's cell. Spike shifted nervously. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Open the door." Her tone brokered no argument.

"Fred-"

"Open the door."

Spike sighed and then opened the door. Dru grinned at them. "Little sister,"

Fred bristled. "I am not your sister. I told you that."

"Doesn't make it so." Drusilla said

"I have the power now. You're going to tell me what you know."

"Why little sister?"

"You know. You saw it in a vision right? You told Spike I was the only one you would tell where Angelus is. That wasn't an ultimatum was it? You saw the future. I'm the only one who will threaten you with the one thing that really can scare you. Do I have to say it?"

"Yes sister," Drusilla grinned wide.

"Tell me where Angelus is or I will put your soul back."

"What?!" Spike protested "Fred you-!"

"Shut up Spike." Fred said in a cold final voice "You can go."

"I won't let you-"

She turned on him. "You have no say over what I do!"

"If you do that to Dru you'll be punishing the innocent person she once was. That isn't any kind of justice. It's the same thing those gypsies did to Angel. Fred please," Spike pleaded

"You just don't want your old squeeze to suffer. What is it with men and the evil girls?"

"Fred-"

Fred held up her hand, stopping him. She turned back to Dru. "Where is he?"

"He journeys to a holy place."

"Which holy place?" Fred asked through gritted teeth

"The king sits on his throne. He rules the lion's share of the world."

"Who-"

"The pope," Spike said in a listless voice "I think she means the pope."

"Rome," Fred said "He's going to Rome."

"Buffy," Spike whispered

…

Lindsey was sitting in a pool of blood. Most of it was his, but some of it had belonged to the slayer. He hadn't hurt her of course, but she had already been injured when she'd come to find him and she had spilt a little blood during the beating she gave him. She stood a few meters away with her hands on her knees panting. Lindsey's face was covered in a collection of purple bruises and long deep scratches. He couldn't move, he was in so much pain. He had long since given up on insisting that he surrendered and pleading for mercy. He devoted all of his energy to trying to pass out. She fell to her knees and started sobbing. Some persistent part of him overrode his survival instinct and insisted on being a smartass. "What do you have to cry about?"

She responded to his words, spoken in a gurgle while blood ran from his mouth and down his cheeks, by looking at him with insane eyes. She then looked at her bloody crushed hands and began to cry some more. "Oh my God, oh my God," She put her face in her hands.

"He's not here sweetie," Lindsey said

"What have I done?"

"Beat a man near to death."

"Why?" She begged "We were happy. Why couldn't you leave us alone?"

"It's my nature. I'm just more honest about it than you."

"This isn't me." Faith insisted "I'm not this. I'm more than this."

"You're the same woman you were when you tortured the watcher." Lindsey insisted

"No, no," Her sobs became more pronounced. "This is different."

"How is it different?" Lindsey demanded "Because I deserve it? It's all the same."

"No," Her wailing became more and more out of control.

They both heard the footsteps and they both looked at the woman who entered. Lilah laid her hand on Faith's shoulder. Faith stared at the woman, uncomprehending. "What are you-"

Lilah put her finger over her lips. "I'll take care of this." She said softly

"I-"

"Go home. It'll be all right."

Faith shook her head. "No, no, it never will be again."

Lilah got to her knees as well. "We'll get him back."

"How do you know?" Faith pleaded

"That son of a bitch is like a bad penny. He always turns up. It's foretold."

"Am I a monster?" Faith asked, snot and tears dripping down her face

"I'm not the person to ask that question."

"I think you are." Faith said

"You're not a monster, slayer. I don't know what you are. I don't know if you're bad or if you're good. But I've seen heroes do awful things and I've seen monsters be all right. So in my mind it hardly matters what you are. All that matters is what you do. Go home slayer."

Faith nodded, numb. "Thank you,"

Lilah waved a paramedic in and after a feeble protest Faith allowed him to take her away while a team of heavily armed men entered. Lilah approached Lindsey and knelt down in front of him, grinning. He coughed up a bit of blood. "How much are you loving this?" He asked

"A whole damn lot,"

"You lied to her."

Lilah brushed a strand of hair behind Lindsey's ear in an almost maternal fashion. "I was being efficient. I needed to move this along. But yes, she is a monster, as am I, as are you."

Lindsey managed a smile. "How about cutting me a break, one monster to another?"

Lilah shook her head. "It doesn't work like that." She patted him on the shoulder. "You will suffer well, and for a long time. In that respect the good guys are worse than the villains."

"The senior partners would just kill me." Lindsey said

Lilah nodded. She started to leave while one of the armed men hauled Lindsey to his feet but then she turned around and her smile widened. "I think I win Lindsey. What do you say?"

"If I ever get out your death will be worse than anything they can do to me."

"I can't wait."

…

Harmony cradled the tiny person in her arms. She heard the door open and turned quickly, ready to eviscerate any threat to the infant. She smiled when she saw Fred enter Lorne's office and approach her. "Hey," Harmony said brightly "I promise I've been taking really good care of her." She held the baby out as proof. "What's wrong Fred?" Harmony realized that Fred looked washed out. It wasn't just exhaustion, but a sort of negative energy that she projected.

"I just need to hold her." Harmony handed Fred the baby.

"You don't look so good."

Fred stared at her child. "I did something awful Harmony."

"What did you do?"

"I threatened to cause an innocent soul unbearable suffering unless someone gave me what I wanted. It wasn't just a threat either, I would have done it. I crossed a line Harmony."

Harmony shrugged. "Eh, I've eaten people."

Fred only paled further. "I swore I wouldn't let this place change me."

"Change is a part of life." Harmony said "You change no matter where you are."

Fred was startled. "That's very deep Harmony."

"I heard that on Oprah." Harm explained "Or one of those talk shows things."

"Oh," Fred said "Well anyway…" She stared into the blue eyes her daughter had inherited from her father. "I want to be the kind of person she can be proud of."

"Anyone would be proud to have you for a mom." Harmony said

Fred gave Harmony an odd look. "You're a nice person Harmony."

"Unperson," Harmony corrected

"No, just person."

…

Faith sat on a bed staring at her bandaged hands. She heard Spike enter and purposefully avoided looking up at him. "So you heard what I did?" She asked "I maimed him, horribly."

Spike shrugged. "I'm not crying over the lawyer."

"He was right about me." She said bitterly "I haven't changed."

"Because of Lindsey? Slayer-"

"Screw Lindsey," Faith looked up and met Spike's eyes. "He deserved it."

Spike was confused. "So what is this about?"

"Do you know what the last thing I said to him before the spell broke was?"

"Who?"

"Wesley, you moron,"

Spike swallowed his aggravation and nodded. "Damn near the whole building knows."

Faith spoke as though she hadn't heard him. "I told him to get off his ass and do his damn job while he was trying to comfort the woman he loved. I didn't care about his feelings or hers."

"You were trying to catch Angelus."

"I'm trying to save Angel." She corrected "I want to save him because of how much he means to me, not because he has to save the world. I was willing to hurt anybody I had to in order to do that. You would think that after what I did to Wesley a little contrition would be in order, but I just tore into him all over again. I used words instead of glass this time, but the moral is that I haven't changed. Angel was wrong, I can't beat the darkness in me. I never will."

"Slayer," Spike said softly "I want to tell you something, but I need you to promise not to stake me for it." Faith fixed him with a tired gaze. "Promise me," Spike said "I need your word."

Faith rolled her eyes but then nodded. "Fine,"

Spike slapped her in the face. "Get over it."

Faith stared at him with wide eyes. She jumped off the bed. "You son of a-"

"Angelus is going after Buffy." Spike said "We have a chance to stop him, but it will all come to nothing again if our most capable operative is wallowing in self-pity. Can you do this?"

Faith glared at him. "You didn't have to hit me."

"I had to slap some sense into you." He insisted "Don't pretend it hurt."

"I'm a slayer, not a robot. I feel pain. Besides I'm already injured."

"Boo bloody hoo."

Faith sighed. "So we're going to Rome."

…

The infirmary had become the sight of a tense confrontation as both Fred and Gunn were insisting they should be on the expedition to Rome and Faith was refusing their requests with Spike's full support. "I can handle myself." Gunn said "You don't have to baby me because of one little injury." He glared at his girlfriend. "You need all the muscle you can get to fight him."

"We have plenty of muscle." Spike said "We're going to meet the slayer."

"But you don't have plenty of brains." Fred said "The device I-"

"Just give us the device." Faith said "Tell us how to use it."

"It's still a prototype." Fred said "It hasn't been tested. I need to calibrate-"

"Then we'll just have to go without." Faith said with a shrug

"I can help." Fred said "I'm not a broken china doll."

"No one thinks you are." Spike said "But do you even want to take the slightest risk that your daughter will lose another parent?" He flinched after he had spoken, realizing what he said.

Fred looked away. "Wesley's not dead, we'll find a cure."

"Yes," Faith said with uncharacteristic softness "That's something you can research while we're in Rome. We all have jobs to do, and this is just as important as catching Angelus."

Fred started to respond but at that moment Lilah came in. "Are you ready?"

"Lilah's going?!" Fred and Gunn shouted at the same time

"Did you practice that?" Lilah asked with a huge grin on her face

"She's just coming to facilitate relations between us and the Rome branch." Faith said

"They've offered their full cooperation." Lilah said

"I don't believe this." Gunn moaned "I can do that, I'm super lawyer, and her boss."

"What are you a comic book character now?" Spike asked

"If we let you come you'd end up in the field and you're not cleared for combat yet."

Gunn scowled at Faith in response to her statement. "This isn't the army."

"No," She agreed "It's a company with a policy we all have to abide."

"Lilah got to Faith." Gunn said "Oh gee, who's next?"

"If you weren't sick I'd slap you upside the head boy." Faith said

"Faith," Fred whispered "You can't call him boy."

"We can all hear you." Spike said in a confused tone

"It's fine." Faith waved off Fred's concerns. "We're screwing so I can say that."

"No you can't." Gunn said "I'm starting to get the impression that you don't respect me as a human being. You're just using me for my body aren't you?" Now he was teasing.

"Yes," Faith said "And it's a very nice one. I don't want to replace it, so you're staying here where it's safe. Spike and I will go kick Angelus's ass. You stay here and… make me a sandwich or something." Faith grinned at Gunn and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Fred what's the female version of misogyny?" Gunn asked

"Misandry," Fred said

"You're a misandrist Faith. You should be ashamed." Gunn said

Lilah rolled her eyes. "Oh brother, I'm waiting in the jet." She left.

"Be careful," Gunn said in a low voice, suddenly serious

"We'll be fine." Faith said "I'm immortal, remember?"

Gunn grinned again at the reminder of one of the first things she said to him after she returned to L.A. when they were hunting the rogue slayer. "I remember."

"Watch out for Spike." Fred said

"Hey," Spike said "I can handle myself."

"I'll look after him." Faith said "Odd as it may be for a slayer to protect a vampire."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Did you forget who we're going to see?"

Faith sighed. "Unfortunately no, this is going to be awkward."

…

As they wheeled Lindsey into the catacombs he wondered what it would feel like. What if he never woke up? If he did would it feel like only a moment had gone by? Or would his internal clock keep ticking even while he was suspended. He saw through a window the beautiful psychic vampire. She was different. Most of the people down here were being locked up this way because killing them wouldn't actually get rid of them. Pavayne could use dark arts to prevent himself from crossing over and when employees of Wolfram & Hart died the company could use their souls for whatever purpose they desired. Drusilla was different. Spike had declined to kill her for sentimental reasons and they had indulged him. As they hooked Lindsey up he tried to think of something to dispel the terror in his heart. It was a kind of oblivion he was about to be submerged in. Was that worse than hell? He couldn't decide. Then he was gone, sleeping.

…

Fred sat by Wesley's bed reading from one of the templates while a sleeping Evi was cradled in her free arm. The door opened and Lorne came in. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here for a while." He said "I just feel like I'll go crazy if I sit alone in that office a moment longer."

"Of course not," She looked up and smiled. "You're family."

"I want to do something." Lorne said "I hate feeling so…"

"Helpless?"

He nodded.

She looked down at her book and then closed it. "When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy that's in you dies. Don't you want somebody to love? Don't you need somebody to love? Wouldn't you love somebody to love? You better find somebody to love."

"Jefferson Airplane," Lorne said "Seems more your parent's era."

"What did you see?"

He rubbed his head. "It's all very unclear. I can make out one thing though."

"What?"

"You're leaving us."

She frowned. "When?"

"Soon,"

"Leaving like… dying?"

He shook his head. "Leaving like going away."

She looked at Wesley. "I wouldn't do that, not with him sick."

"Then he must get better."

For a moment she smiled, and it was a beautiful smile. It reminded him of better times and he wanted to bask in its glow. But then the smile was gone. "Why would I leave all of you?"

Lorne hesitated. "Maybe we save Angel."

"That's great." Fred insisted "We all want to save Angel."

"Of course," Lorne said "But can you work with him again?"

She frowned. She stared at her sleeping child. "He would have killed her if it wasn't for Faith's alarm system. He would have killed her and then abducted me. I'd be gone. I wouldn't have been able to come back if Evi were dead. I'd be as lost as my poor Wesley is now."

Lorne reached out and touched her shoulder. "She's right here. She's safe."

Fred gave him a loving but sad smile. "None of us are safe, not while we're here."

"I think that's your answer."

Fred turned her gaze to her fiancé. "Dru said he had a ticking time bomb in his head."

"She was right."

Fred shook her head. "No, we all did. We all do."

They both looked at the man whose chest rose and fell but who for all intents and purposes was dead to the world. Fred closed her eyes and thought of the first time she ever laid eyes on him. It was just for a moment. She had other things on her mind and she had barely noticed him at all. But then they'd all gone back to earth and after that the Hyperion and he'd become her friend. He had accepted her lunacy with undying patience. She hadn't known he was in love with her. How could she? She had started a relationship with Charles and that had been great for a while. All that time he was in love with her and he never said a word. That was a part of who he was she supposed. He was so reserved, so afraid to reveal any part of himself. Even after everything they had shared there were still things she didn't know about him, things he was afraid to show her. She wanted to learn about all of those things. She wanted to peer into every corner of his mind and piece of his heart. Fred had killed Illyria once, and so she felt she should be able to save the one she loved from the old one's icy grip. Fred stood up and handed her daughter to Lorne. He accepted the child happily. Fred took Wesley's hand in both of hers and then she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "Wake up, okay?" But he slept on.


End file.
